Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft

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The company Held & Francke was a German construction company . It was founded in Berlin in 1872 by the master mason Held and the merchant Francke . The company had great success executing construction projects in and around Berlin. This resulted in the later Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft , which a few years later expanded its construction activity to include northern, western and southern Germany.

Founding history

Held & Francke - growing as a partnership

In 1872 Otto Held and August Francke founded the construction company Held & Francke in Berlin on Oranienstrasse. The company soon employed several hundred people because it was involved in the execution of large construction projects such as B. the Reich Insurance Office (completed in 1887), the Prussian House of Representatives (completed in 1899), the Berlin Cathedral (1894–1900) or the Deutsche Bank AG building in Mauerstraße and Kanonierstraße.

Conversion into a stock corporation

In 1906 the company was converted into a stock corporation , the Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft, with its later registered office at Am Köllnischen Park 1. The conversion resulted in a capital increase to two million gold marks . With this capital the company expanded strongly.

Held & Francke in Berlin (1872–1931)

The number of public buildings alone is an indication of the reputation of the construction company: The Berlin State Library Unter den Linden, the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum , the Marstall (now the Central and State Library Berlin and Berlin City Library ) were all built afterwards Designed by Ernst von Ihne , the Kaiser Wilhelm Academy and the synagogue in Lindenstrasse based on designs by Cremer & Wolffenstein and Zeyse, four large courthouses and three main post offices as well as nine churches for Berlin, military facilities, factories (including for the AEG , the Agfa ), bank and insurance buildings ( Allianz-Versicherung , Nordstern-Versicherung on the former Nordsternplatz, today Senate Department for Justice and others), commercial buildings, hospitals and residential buildings.

Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft, Berlin

Even before it was converted into a stock corporation, the company had over 1,000 employees. In Rudow, the workshop and storage area was expanded to many hectares and various factory buildings were built on. The large building construction department left the domicile in Oranienstrasse and moved into the administration building at Am Köllnischen Park 1 in Berlin , which still exists today .

In 1912 Otto Held left the company for health reasons after 40 years of work. Philipp Schindler, who joined the company in 1886, successfully continued to run Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft as CEO . Under him was u. a. the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (1891–1895) built on today's Breitscheidplatz in Berlin.

Well-known buildings were erected such as B. the headquarters of the electrical elevated and underground railway , cable works for Siemens & Halske , train stations, water works and gas works, machine works, breweries, the telephone and telegraph works of Carl Lorenz Aktiengesellschaft in Berlin-Tempelhof and the test radio station Eberswalde on behalf of this telegraph construction company, the was run by the merchant Robert Held, a brother of the builder Otto Held.

The years from 1914 onwards were the most difficult in the company's history. The Held & Francke Aktiengesellschaft expanded its activities to southern and western Germany. Construction contracts were sought in southern Germany, initially in railway construction and the associated construction of so-called engineering structures (e.g. bridges), and later a branch was founded in Stuttgart. Because of the success, parts of the company were spun off into the Süddeutsche Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft based in Munich in 1921 . This later took over from the Stuttgart branch the Neckar barrages in Ladenburg and Wieblingen, which were under construction from 1925, as well as the Cannstatt barrage, which was also built on the Neckar and was designed by the architect Paul Bonatz , as was the Ladenburg barrage.

In 1924, a branch in Hamburg was established in northern Germany for the construction of canals and railways, with sales soon reaching 5 million Reichsmarks. The branch was headed by Hans Minetti , who was chairman of the German Concrete Association in Wiesbaden from the early 1950s until 1972 after the war .

In 1927, Industriebau AG (Berlin, Breslau, Kattowitz and others), represented by its founder and board member, Karl Pieler , acquired the majority stake in the well-off Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft through secret share purchases .

Industriebau - Held & Francke - merger of short duration

Share over RM 1000 in Industriebau Held & Francke AG from October 1928

It was followed by a merger of the two companies for industrial buildings - Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft to Berlin . In 1928 it had the following holdings:

  • Own houses for city ​​and country GmbH , Berlin
  • Gleisgemeinschaft GmbH , Carlowitz, to 18%
  • Oberschlesische Industriebau AG , Katowice
  • A. Pusch Baugesellschaft mbH , Senftenberg, to 65%
  • Silesian Portland Zement-AG at 0.64%
  • Süddeutsche Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft as well
  • Huta Hoch- und Tiefbau AG with nominally 500,000 Reichsmark shares

With the start of the global economic crisis, Industriebau - Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft in Berlin suffered a balance sheet loss of 5,668,000 Reichsmarks in the 1929 financial year. The holding companies had to transfer their profits to the parent company, this particularly applies to Süddeutsche Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft , which achieved good results during this period.

Time of the Great Depression

The global economic crisis impacted the early 1930s for the then subsidiary Süddeutsche Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft not as negative as for the Berlin headquarters. Losses of over 5 million Reichsmarks threatened illiquidity for the Berlin company. With the issue of shares over 1,000 Reichsmarks in September 1930, urgently needed capital was to be raised. Nevertheless, in 1931 the no longer sufficiently liquid parent company in Berlin had to file for bankruptcy and close, as the banks only supported a corporate concept for the continued existence of the southern German subsidiary.

Held & Francke in Munich (1921–1990)

South German Held & Francke, Munich, (1921–1940)

The Süddeutsche Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft has been able to look back on better business since 1921 than was possible in the deficit building construction area in Berlin. In 1930, the Munich subsidiary was able to assert itself in the market and continue construction. The banks supported this by the proportions of the recorded in the bankruptcy of the Berlin company shares of the Munich subsidiary to the Maffei over initiated 'sche heirs.

As early as 1940, the Süddeutsche Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft in Munich had re-established itself on the market to such an extent that the elimination of the name component “Süddeutsche” was considered and the name was changed to Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft in the same year . In the construction industry, the company is called HF or H&F for short.

Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft, Munich, (1940–1990)

After 1945 the reconstruction got off to a slow start, the not yet modernized equipment park of the company and the financial difficulties of the clients make it difficult to get adequate construction contracts. The Deutsche Mark was introduced as currency in the American, British and French occupation zones ( Trizone ) and in West Berlin in 1948 through the currency reform . The general meeting of the Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft in Munich set its capital on December 13, 1950 at 2.6 million DM.

Between 1950 and 1965, the company, which was then located in Munich at Aschauer Strasse 21, expanded and expanded beyond what was then the Federal Republic of Germany. A large number of significant buildings were created and international business built up (in Kuwait, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Ghana, Abu Dhabi, later Saudi Arabia, Jordan etc.).

During these years Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft participated in the following companies:

  • Carini, Grafenwöhr, later renamed Haber & Co.
  • Friedrich W. Noll road construction company
  • Weller & Co., Linz, Austria, from 1961 Held & Francke (in Austria)

In 1967 the share capital increased to 4 million DM and in 1968 to 5 million DM. This was followed by further increases in 1971 to 7.5 million DM and in 1972 to 10 million DM.

Founding anniversary

1972 was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Held & Francke construction company. On this occasion, the Technical University of Munich received a large amount to promote young technical talent.

Era of Philipp Holzmann - Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft (1990–1996)

In 1990, the year of reunification, Philipp Holzmann AG largely took over Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft with the intention of expanding Holzmann's weak presence in southern Germany by taking over the market share and contracting the better-positioned Held & Francke. The new company name takes place under Philipp Holzmann - Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft . In the following years, however, the company was one of the holdings in the Holzmann Group that made losses.

In 1996, the general meeting of the Philipp Holzmann - Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft decided to rename it to Philipp Holzmann Bauaktiengesellschaft Süd , so that the name "Held & Francke" was omitted from the company name. The resolution was based on a majority of the voting rights held by Philipp Holzmann AG. The renamed company had the status of a head office and was responsible for Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in the Holzmann Group.

In 2002 the Philipp Holzmann AG went into insolvency proceedings , which finally brought the history of the Held & Francke construction company to an end. (See also Philipp Holzmann # Crisis and Insolvency 2002 ).

Regional structures - headquarters and branches of Held & Francke in Germany

Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft Berlin, headquarters and branches before 1945

Headquarters and historical address of the main administration: Held & Francke Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin SO 16, Am Köllnischen Park 1, with storage / work place in Rudow, Kanalstrasse

  • Berlin branch
  • Bremen branch
  • Dortmund branch
  • Stuttgart branch

Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft Munich, headquarters and branches after 1945

Seat and historical address of the main administration: Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft, 81549 Munich (formerly 8000 Munich 90), Aschauer Straße 21, with storage space and workshop there

  • Cham branch
  • Branch office Frankfurt am Main
  • Grafenwoehr branch
  • Hamburg branch
  • Ingolstadt branch
  • Branch office Kaiserslautern
  • Branch office in Kiel
  • Cologne branch
  • Branch office Koblenz
  • Mainz branch
  • Munich office
  • Nuremberg branch
  • Branch office Stuttgart
  • Vilshofen branch
  • Würzburg branch

Buildings erected in Germany

Berlin era, in extracts, from 1872

  • Berlin Cathedral, Am Lustgarten, Berlin
  • Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Auguste-Victoria-Platz (Breitscheidplatz), Berlin
  • Landtag building for the Prussian Landtag in Berlin (today the House of Representatives of the State of Berlin)
  • Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Museum Island, Berlin
  • Higher Administrative Court, Hardenbergstrasse 21, Berlin-Charlottenburg
  • Powder factory in Plaue with 71 buildings
  • Gun foundry Spandau with 5 factories
  • Factory for the Air Force, Adlershof near Berlin
  • Berlin-Friedrichsfelde airfield facility
  • Berlin Synagogue, Lindenstrasse 48–50
  • Chamber of Crafts in Berlin, Belle-Alliance-Strasse / Teltower Strasse

Munich era, in extracts, from 1943

  • Participation in the construction of bunkers in Landsberg for the Armaments Ministry in Berlin
  • Construction of the structures for the company headquarters on Aschauer Strasse, Munich
  • Allianz Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft administration building, Koeniginstrasse 28, Munich
  • Leitzach pumped storage plant, municipal electricity works in Munich
  • Mikroporit aerated concrete plant, Aschauer Strasse, Munich
  • Fermentation cellar and bottling plant of the Paulaner brewery, Munich
  • Municipal Stadium of the City of Nuremberg, Zeppelinstrasse
  • Hotel Bayerischer Hof , renovation and new construction, Promenadeplatz 2–6, Munich
  • Moselle barrage St. Aldegund for the water and shipping authority Mainz
  • Auto-Tunnel Von-der-Tann-Straße, City of Munich
  • Administration building of the Axel Springer publishing house in Hamburg
  • Nahe bridge of the BAB 61 near Dietersheim for the Montabaur motorway office
  • Administration building + broadcasting center of the ZDF in Mainz
  • Repair of the old Main bridge in Würzburg

Support association

Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft in Munich founded a registered support association to support former employees of retirement age, which received income from rentals and grants to finance support services. A prerequisite for entitlement to support was at least 10 years of service with this stock corporation, taking into account a minimum age threshold from which the minimum period of 10 years had to be determined (including qualifying requirements).

After the takeover of the German Held & Francke by Philipp Holzmann AG in 1990, the original support association was also renamed the Philipp Holzmann - Held & Francke eV support association . Six years later, the name was changed again to the Philipp Holzmann Süd eV support association. These support associations are no longer registered in the register portal of the federal states; In the year of Holzmann's insolvency in 2002, the Pensions -icherung -Verein aG (PSVaG), which is responsible according to legal rules for the failure of pension plans, had to be prepared for the exorbitantly increased service costs for pension recipients to be protected.

literature

  • Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft (ed.): Develop, construct, build. Munich, 1972.
  • Handbook and directory Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft building civil engineering reinforced concrete construction Berlin
  • Extract from the report on the 1929 financial year of Industriebau-Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft Berlin
  • Company brochure - published by Held & Francke Bauaktiengesellschaft Munich 1979

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Construction Held & Francke and company formation , partly available from Google Books, on April 19, 2020
  2. ↑ Building Histories here: Held & Francke from company foundation development. until 1914 , partly available from Google Books, on April 20, 2020
  3. ↑ Construction work for the Prussian Landtag / Prussia. House of Representatives in Berlin , accessed April 20, 2020
  4. ^ Conversion of the construction company in 1906 to Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft , accessed April 20, 2020
  5. ↑ Philipp Schindler's biography, 70 pages, published in 1933 Verlag Berlin-Südende , accessed April 20, 2020
  6. ↑ Industriebau AG Berlin secretly acquires majority of shares in Held & Francke Aktien-Gesellschaft , accessed April 20, 2020
  7. ↑ Participation in the construction of the bunker in Landsberg in 1944 , accessed April 20, 2020
  8. ↑ 40 years PSVaG, page 82 on major losses, including from Holzmann's insolvency , accessed March 10, 2020