Johann Georg Friedrich Reichenbach

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Originals as a factory after the end of 1832; probably between 1846 and 1850

Johann Georg Friedrich Reichenbach (* in Montbéliard on June 22nd, 1791 ; † in Stuttgart in 1873 ) was a businessman, founder and owner of the cotton weaving mill Urspring from 1832-1852

Origin and education

Johann Georg Friedrich Reichenbach came from a long-established Württemberg family, originally based in Cannstatt , which was in the service of the Württemberg ducal house. The traditional family profession was that of a surgeon. This profession spread to his father Wilhelm Heinrich Reichenbach , who was Duke Friedrich Eugen's personal physician .

Georg Reichenbach was a cousin of the natural scientist and industrialist Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Reichenbach . One of his aunties was the painter Ludovike Simanowiz .

Georg Reichenbach was born in Mömpelgard on June 22, 1791, the second of a total of three sons, both of whom died at the age of two. So Georg remained his parents' only son.

Georg Reichenbach followed his father in his changing employment relationships: after the father had been a valet and "surgeon" of Duke Friedrich Eugen in Mömpelgard from 1783 , the father left Mömpelgard with his wife and son in the spring of 1793 when he was Duke Friedrich Eugen Surgeon and valet followed to Bayreuth; with the Duke he returned to Stuttgart in the same functions in 1795.

Georg Reichenbach did a commercial apprenticeship in Basel from 1804 to 1810 (from 13 to 17 years of age) and stayed in France from 1810 to 1812 (from 17 to 19 years of age). According to Raithelhuber, he is said to have trained in the manufacture of linen fabrics in a Belgian textile town.

Reichenbach did not appear in 1812 for the annual muster with the Württemberg military in Esslingen am Neckar. He declared that he wanted to return to his citizenship in Mömpelgard, where his father had been employed by Duke Friedrich Eugen from 1783 to spring 1793 as a personal physician. Apparently Reichenbach had got wind of Napoleon's forthcoming Russian military campaign , which had been in preparation since 1811 , and Württemberg was still in coalition with Napoleon.

In the northern French textile town of Saint-Quentin , he ran a "Filature de Coton" (cotton weaving mill) in an abandoned monastery with his companion Legoupil; the files refer to him as "négociant" (merchant). Reichenbach's factory company suffered from various difficulties on site and went bankrupt in 1831.

Factory owner in Urspring

In 1832, when he returned to Württemberg, he bought most of the buildings in the former Benedictine convent of Urspring and set up a cotton factory there. The rectory (former Unteres Gasthaus), the caretaker's apartment (former priory) and the cellar previously used by the brewery leaseholder were excluded from the purchase; these were reserved for the pastor, nuns and sisters for their lifetime to live in and use. The former cloister office, which later became the head office of the archives camera, including the wash house south of it, was reserved by the Württemberg state as the home of the district forester. The Württemberg state wanted to get rid of the monastery because it only caused costs. Among three applicants, including the city of Schelklingen and the residual convention, Reichenbach was awarded the contract, with the condition that a factory be set up. Right from the start there was friction between Reichenbach and the town of Schelklingen, which was dissatisfied with the loss of the grain mill from Urspring. Reichenbach replied with the threat “that, in the case of the Schelklingen community, he would and would put obstacles in the way of his plan - in relation to the removal of the mill and the leasing of the property - in the implementation of his plan, which he did not doubt Schelklinger would let their use feel by not employing any workers from this community; The city council believed that this statement should lead to a malicious character of the manufacturer Reichenbach, from whom all possible chicanery could be experienced in his time ”. On August 27, 1832 Reichenbach was confirmed admission to the Württemberg State Association; this was a prerequisite for starting a business. The town of Schelklingen wanted to see Reichenbach as a community citizen of Schelklingen for tax reasons, but Reichenbach decided to acquire citizenship in Schmiechen . He was still taxed in Schelklingen, since Urspring belonged to the local association Schelklingen, and he was the highest taxed person there with 196 fl 6 kr in 1843. When Reichenbach wanted to participate in the elections that took place in 1838 (to the estates), this was given to him by the Oberamt Blaubeuren denied because he is a citizen in the village "Schmiechen is not a citizen in my place of residence, Urspring, and does not pay any state tax there either, but pays the same to the town of Schelklingen".

At the end of 1832 Reichenbach had the copper Welsche dome of the church tower demolished. The objection of the authorities against the sole sale of the copper by Reichenbach led to the fact that the value of the copper was added by the state to the purchase price of the monastery.

As early as 1835, the Blaubeuren district authority requested a status report: “Originally, on June 4th, 1832, the state bought it. It took six months to set up the locals and the engine before they could start. In the first year, a spooling machine and a sizing machine along with 46 handlooms, in the second year another Spuhl, slip & sizing machine along with 40 handlooms, and in the current year a sizing machine and 15 mechanical water chairs have been set up, so that now 2 winding machines, 2 warping machines, 3 sizing machines, 86 hand looms and 15 water chairs are in progress, which together close to 120 workers every day, (excluding the craftsmen, as: locksmiths, carpenters, bricklayers, saddlers, flaskers, carters, etc., who are constantly earning money find in the factory) employ. - It should be noted here that half of the factory workers are girls aged 14–20 ”.

The factory operations through Reichenbach can be divided into two phases. In the first phase from 1832 to 1846, the weaving mill was located on the first floor of the two-story grain mill and brewery at the origin and in the cloister wings: in the former convent hall, the former punishment room, the former dining room and chamber of the brewery and in a hall that runs through the Demolition of the cells of the nuns (probably in the cloister wings). The monastery church was used as a magazine in 1835.

In the second phase from 1846 to 1852, the former grinding mill and brewery, the so-called Brother House (a long, connected building, demolished in 1907) contained artificial bleach.

Reichenbach operated the factory in Urspring for twenty years, from 1832 to 1852. At the end of 1851 - Reichenbach was now 61 years old - the weaving mill went bankrupt and was sold because it was overindebted. The reason for the bankruptcy is said to have been the failure of the bleaching plant. The purchase contract to the widow Friederike Blezinger shows that in addition to the weaving mill in Urspring, an artificial bleaching facility was also operated.

Reichenbach's main creditor was the widow Friederike Blezinger in Stuttgart. The Blezinger family is said to have been forced to take over Urspring. On January 30, 1852, Chief Tribunal Councilor Dr. Karl Ludwig Wilhelm von Hofacker in Stuttgart, authorized representative and son-in-law of the widow Friederike Blezinger, opened the factory for his brother-in-law and youngest son of the widow Blezinger Christian August ; he managed the factory from 1853-1859.

After the loss of Urspring, Reichenbach settled in Stuttgart, where he died in 1873. His second wife followed him in death in 1889.

The Württemberg cotton industry in its international dependency

The spinning and weaving of cotton was an innovation for Württemberg, which only slowly had to assert itself against the linen industry. The rest of the world, especially England, Belgium, France (especially Alsace), and the Swiss cantons of Appenzell and St. Gallen, were already well advanced in this sector. So it is not surprising that the early Württemberg cotton manufacturers like Reichenbach complained about foreign competition. This competition was mainly based on the price and quality of the products, both of which depended on modern production techniques. These in turn required a high initial investment of capital.

The raw cotton was mainly obtained from the USA via Liverpool . Egypt as a supplier country played a smaller role. This made the cotton industry heavily dependent on international influences.

The cotton industry also suffered from the economic crisis. The years of crisis 1847 and 1848 , in particular, fall during Reichenbach's time , when food prices rose sharply after the bad harvests of 1846, which resulted in a great reluctance to buy in other forms of consumption. The price of cotton products had already fallen over the long term. Both factors led to a collapse in sales of cotton products and ultimately led to liquidity problems for cotton entrepreneurs.

Reichenbach's suggestions for improvement

Reichenbach made several petitions and suggestions to the Württemberg state government to improve the Württemberg cotton industry. In 1835 he wrote notes on the cotton industry in Württemberg and notes on Saxon industry . Reichenbach complains in particular 1. a lack of mechanical workshops, 2. a lack of capable, knowledgeable, young men who are suitable for factory work, and 3. a lack of skilled auxiliary craftsmen, locksmiths, carpenters, iron turner etc. to remedy these deficiencies he suggests: a) sending a young technician who speaks French to the trade school in Châlons sur Marne at the expense of the Society for the Promotion of Trade in Württemberg ; b) also a skilled young carpenter or carpenter in a mechanical spinning and weaving mill in Alsace; and c) a young locksmith in a machine shop in Alsace, or in Liège.

In 1847 he submitted a plan for a trade school based on the model of the French trade school in Châlons sur Marne, with the title: Proposal and plan for the establishment of an industrial science institute combined with workshops for machines and tools for practical teaching and provided a detailed implementation plan. Reichenbach notes that in Württemberg in the area of ​​weaving too much old craft methods are being held. He argues that secondary schools and polytechnics are not suitable for technical education. The priority of the humanistic grammar school would also have long neglected industrial technical training and development. The new establishment of a vocational school should offer theoretical as well as practical lessons, but concentrate on subjects that are conducive to technical and industrial training.

Family relationships and offspring

Reichenbach married for the first time in Saint-Quentin on August 2, 1820 Clélie Dupuis, born January 1, 1794 or “12. Nivôse an II ", † March 6, 1831 (37 years 2 months old), the daughter of Jean Baptiste Dupuis, Maire de ville (Mayor) of Saint-Quentin," négociant et président du tribunal de commerce "(businessman and chairman of the Commercial Court) of Saint-Quentin, and his wife Adelaide Henry. The children from this marriage are:

  • Clara , born probably in Saint-Quentin on May 6, 1825; she married in Weiler (near Blaubeuren) and Schelklingen on September 17, 1844, Alexis Friedrich von Kellenbach, a businessman in Brussels, born in Esslingen am Neckar on May 18, 1820 (Protestant), son of Joseph Friedrich von Kellenbach and his wife Friederike Weinland , and
  • Gustaph , probably also born in Saint-Quentin in 1826 (calculated). On September 15, 1847 Gustav Reichenbach asked the local council of Schmiechen, where his father was citizenship, for a certificate of origin, which he was refused because he had not acquired the Schmiechen citizenship. A long argument arose from this, whereby it is mentioned that in November 1832 the “little daughter Clara” would have been 8 years old and “the little son” 7 years old.

On May 7, 1833, Georg Reichenbach married a second time in Blaubeuren Adelheid Teichmann (born in Blaubeuren April 16, 1809, baptized Protestant, † 1889), the daughter of Ludwig Friedrich Teichmann, camera administrator in Blaubeuren and his wife Julie Friederike Gaupp. The children from this marriage are:

  • Ida Emilie , born February 1, 1834, oo Karl Becker (1838–1887), † 1917
  • Emma Adelheid , born October 14, 1836, oo Karl Alexander Schweizer (1828–1887), † 1892
  • Adelheid, Adele , born July 15, 1838, oo Louis Epplé (1844–1880), † 1893
  • Sophie Mathilde , born December 26, 1839, oo Eugen Pfendsack (1930–1893), † 1917
  • Mathilde , born 1841, single, † 1910
  • Johanna Emilie Laura , born September 13, 1849, oo Adolf von Marchtaler (1840–1902), director of the Heilbronn sugar factory , † 1940

Sources and literature

  • Klaus Brügelmann (1987), Urspring as a factory. In: Urspring News 1987 . Schelklingen: Ursprunging School Foundation, pp. 16–18.
  • Felix Burkhardt (1972), Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Reichenbach: chemist and industrialist 1788–1869. In: Robert Uhland (ed.), Life pictures from Swabia and Franconia . Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, pp. 200-212.
  • Immo Eberl, with the collaboration of Irmgard Simon and Franz Rothenbacher (edit.) (2012), The family and civil status cases in the parishes of the town of Schelklingen and the Urspring Monastery (1602–1621, 1657–) 1692–1875 . 2nd edition Mannheim: Franz Rothenbacher.
  • Eugen Gäckle and Hans Blezinger (1928), The Blezinger Family: Biographical and Historical Facts from 3 Centuries . Uhingen: Self-published by the author.
  • Bernhard Hell (1935), History of the Urspring Monastery: A Contribution to Local History . Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag.
  • Dieter Ising (2002), Johann Christoph Blumhardt: Life and Work . Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
  • Gabriele von Koenig-Warthausen (1972), Ludovike Simanowiz b. Reichenbach: painter 1759–1827. In: Robert Uhland (ed.), Life pictures from Swabia and Franconia . Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, pp. 121-144.
  • Ernst Raithelhuber (1986), Wilhelm Heinrich Reichenbach: Duke of Württemberg body and regimental medicine 1763-1843. In: Robert Uhland (ed.), Life pictures from Swabia and Franconia . Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, pp. 108-121.
  • Werner Rall (undated), History of the Rall family . Unpublished manuscript. (Partial copy in the Schelklingen City Archives)
  • Franz Rothenbacher (2015), House book of the city of Schelklingen. Volume 2: Tables of houses . 2nd, increased edition Mannheim, Franz Rothenbacher.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Burkhardt 1972.
  2. ↑ Koenig-Warthausen 1972.
  3. ↑ Raithelhuber 1986 p. 115 and 120f.
  4. ^ State Archive Ludwigsburg E 179 II Bü 1237: Reichenbach Citizenship Law 1812, 1813, 1832; Conscription to the military in 1813.
  5. ↑ Brügelmann 1987 p. 16.
  6. ^ State archive Ludwigsburg F 41 Bü 90: Revised sales contract for the Urspring Monastery of April 14, 1832; Cover letter dated May 21, 1832, § 2.
  7. ↑ Ibid § 4.
  8. ↑ City Archives Schelklingen B 12 Vol. 9: Minutes of the City Council of March 4, 1832.
  9. ↑ City Archives Schelklingen B 12 Vol. 9: Minutes of the City Council of October 5, 1832 (§ 367); City archive Schelklingen C 58: Recordings in civil rights and dismissals from civil rights. In it: Civil rights for Georg Friedrich Johann Reichenbach, August 31, 1832.
  10. ^ State Archives Ludwigsburg E 179 II Bü 1237: Georg Reichenbach's right to vote, 1843–1844.
  11. ↑ State Archives Ludwigsburg F 41 Bü 90: Finance Chamber of the Danube District to the Blaubeuren camera office from January 4, 1833.
  12. ↑ Main State Archives Stuttgart E 146 Bü 6064: Oberamtsbericht about the Ursprunging factory from February 18, 1835.
  13. ↑ The illustration is based on Rothenbacher 2015, Urspring No. 1 pp. 610–617, Urspring No. 16, p. 639f and Urspring No. 17, p. 641.
  14. ↑ A report from 1835 gives an exact picture of the appearance of the factory; see. State Archives Ludwigsburg Stock F 41 Bü 90: Camera office report on the factory Urspring from August 7, 1835.
  15. ^ City archive Schelklingen B 143: Kaufbuch 1847–52, fol. 202b-206.
  16. ↑ “In 1850 a bleacher had taken the wrong solution for bleaching, the damage was so great that Reichenbach had to sell his factory. In order to pay his debts, he had the copper taken from the roofs everywhere, and he is said to have received as much as he had to pay for the whole property in his time ”; Hell 1935 p. 67.
  17. ↑ Rall or JS 40
  18. ↑ Johanna Friederike Bletzinger, b. Königsbronn October 28, 1779, d. April 20, 1866, married March 13, 1802 Christian Friedrich (Philipp) Blezinger, b. Westernach September 3, 1768, d. Stuttgart October 25, 1829, owner of the Ernbacher Hüttenwerke and associate director of the Königsbronner Werke. Christian Friedrich Blezinger moved to Stuttgart in 1846; see. Gäckle and Blezinger 1928 p. 18 with two plates opposite.
  19. ↑ Rall or JS 35.
  20. ↑ Born Bad Wildbad 1794, † 1866, was senior judiciary in Esslingen am Neckar, 1825–1828 government commissioner at the University of Tübingen, senior tribunal director in Stuttgart, 1826–1830 member of the Landtag for Welzheim , president of the Court of Cassation in Stuttgart; see. Ising 2002 p. 43. His brother was Ludwig Hofacker (1798–1828), a Lutheran clergyman from Württemberg.
  21. ^ State archive Ludwigsburg E 170 Bü 1033: Georg Reichenbach's notes on cotton manufacturing in Württemberg and Saxony and his suggestions for improvement, December 23, 1835.
  22. ^ State archive Ludwigsburg E 170 Bü 400: Georg Reichenbach's application for a Württemberg trade institute, October 8, 1847 to April 2, 1849.
  23. ↑ Eberl et al. 2012 No. 812.
  24. ^ State Archives Ludwigsburg E 179 II Bü 1238: Citizenship for Clara and Gustav Reichenbach in Schmiechen; here decree of the Ulm district government of July 10th, 1848 to the Oberamt Blaubeuren.
  25. ↑ Eberl et al. 2012 No. 1309f.
  26. ↑ For him see the article in the German biography [1] .
personal data
SURNAME Reichenbach, Johann Georg Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reichenbach, Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Textile manufacturer in Urspring (Schelklingen), owner of a cotton weaving mill
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1791
PLACE OF BIRTH Montbeliard
DATE OF DEATH 1873
Place of death Stuttgart