Josef Zirnbauer

Josef Zirnbauer (born March 16, 1834 in Oberbergkirchen ; † January 1, 1917 in Obernzell ) was a German leather manufacturer and local politician . He was one of the pioneers of power supply in Lower Bavaria .

Life and accomplishments

The Lederergasse in the Passau Innstadt

House of the leather factory in Obernzell, formerly house no.116, today Ledererplatz 6 (as of January 2016)

Josef Zirnbauer was born in Oberbergkirchen as the son of the country doctor ( surgeon ) Zeno Zirnbauer (1797-1837) , who came from Sterneck near Mühldorf am Inn and who died in Erharting . After the early death of his father, his mother remarried and moved to Neuötting . There Josef Zirnbauer made a Gerber teaching and, after years of wandering from circa 1855 as tanner in the factory of Franz Seraph Kuchler (1,800 to 1,884) in the Lederergasse in the Passauer Innstadt . In October 1862 he married Kuchler's daughter Anna (1837–1888) shortly after completing the master leather master's examination and then founded his own leather shop in Obernzell in what was then house No. 4, which was previously the second business of Kuchler's Passau leather factory. The house with two "real Lederer justice " as well as some buildings and properties belonging to it were part of his wife's marriage property. In 1870 he acquired house no. 116 in the same place (formerly Huber cotton spinning mill ), which became the headquarters of a rapidly flourishing leather factory.

His products have received several awards at national and international exhibitions: recognition diplomas at the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873 and the International Special Exhibition for Leather, Leather Goods and Oak Culture in Berlin in 1877 as well as gold and silver medals at Bavarian and Lower Bavarian trade exhibitions in 1882, 1896, 1903 and 1906 are to be mentioned.

Zirnbauer was also one of the pioneers of power supply in Lower Bavaria . From 1893 an electricity company he founded supplied the leather factory in Obernzell and u. a. the parish church and the street lighting of the place. It was the first proven power station in the Wegscheid district office and consisted of a water turbine on the Eckerbach, supplemented by a 20 hp steam engine . This facility was expanded and rebuilt several times in the following years.

The Passauer Zeitung ruled in 1896: "Mr. Zirnbauer is recognized as one of the most brilliant manufacturers."

Zirnbauer was also involved in social life. In 1859 he was a co-founder of the Passau volunteer fire brigade and in 1863 of the Obernzell fire brigade corps made up of members of the then gymnastics club (" Turner Fire Brigade "). Fifty-four years - until his death in 1917 - he was in command of the Obernzell Fire Brigade Corps. He was also significantly involved in the establishment of a fire brigade in Engelhartszell in 1866/67 , which is located opposite Obernzell on the Austrian bank of the Danube. For his services to the fire service, he was honored in 1870 with the large silver medal, the fire service badge and later with the fire service cross awarded by the Bavarian state .

In 1862 he was also involved as a gymnast in founding the Passau gymnastics club. In 1865 he became a magistrate , was mayor of the municipality from 1869 to 1882 and was also elected to the district council. He was also appointed to the Commerce Council. He also set up foundations, including a. for the Obernzell kindergarten, the so-called “infant care center”, and the associated girls' school. When the Bavarian Gerber Association was founded on March 4, 1908 in Nuremberg as part of a gathering of tanners from all parts of Bavaria, Josef Zirnbauer was elected to one of the three assessors of the first chairman of the Kommerzienrat Rosenthal from Munich. After eight years on the board, he rejected re-election in 1916 because of his "advanced age".

The marriage with Anna Kuchler had twelve children, eight of whom died in childhood. His sons Franz (1863–1936), father of the sculptor Otto Zirnbauer , and Alois (1870–1930) took over management of the company after Zirnbauer's death in 1917. In 1930 Jos. Zirnbauer Lederfabrik went bankrupt as a result of the global economic crisis and was finally sold in 1935. It was continued in the same place under changing owners until 2008.

literature

• Richard Miller: Contributions to the history of the Obernzell market . Published in 1963 on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the market town Obernzell (= Vol. 9 of the series New Publications of the Institute for East Bavarian Homeland Research . Ed. By Professor Dr. Josef Oswald), Passau 1963 (the volume contains a Age portrait of Josef Zirnbauer)
• 750 years of Obernzell parish, 725 years of Markt Obernzell, 100 years of Kindergarten Obernzell . Festschrift Jubilee Week 24.6. - 3.7.1988. Ed .: Parish Obernzell and Markt Obernzell. Responsible for the content: Rudolf Hammel, Obernzell 1988
• 125 years of Obernzell volunteer fire brigade: 1863-1988 . Festschrift, Obernzell 1988
• Erich Obermeier and Helmut Schweller: Obernzeller memories. The Obernzell market history in pictures , Obernzell 1988
• Josef Zirnbauer , in: Obernzeller personalities . Edited by the Obernzell Art and Culture Circle, Obernzell 2014, pp. 8–9.
• Thomas Zirnbauer: A defining head of the early days: On the 100th anniversary of Josef Zirnbauer's death , in: Passauer Neue Presse , supplement Heimatglocken , January 3, 2017, p. 26

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A corresponding note on the trade test certificate dated August 16, 1862, after which he passed the examination as a master leather master in Passau with grade 1, is contained in file 314 in the Obernzell market archive.
2. ↑ The application of the journeyman leather worker Josef Zirnbauer from Neuötting for permission to settle down and marry the leather daughter Anna Kuchler from Passau, as well as to exercise real leather justice, recorded in Obernzell on October 7, 1862 , was approved by the market authorities on October 11, 1862 (Documents in the Obernzell market archive, file 314). On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the factory, a family reunion with over fifty members of the Zirnbauer family took place in Obernzell, about which the Passauer Neue Presse reported on July 19, 1962.
3. ↑ See RegioWiki entry Lederfabrik Münch . There you can see images of the cotton mill and the later leather factory. Some of them are also contained in: Erich Obermeier and Helmut Schweller: Obernzeller memories. The Obernzeller market history in pictures , Obernzell 1988, p. 118 f.
4. ↑ The company was represented with “Calfskins and Narrow Skins” as one of 34 Bavarian exhibitors in Group VI (= leather and rubber industry) and was awarded a recognition diploma for the pieces on display. The report on Bavaria's participation in the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873 states: “Among the types of leather for footwear, Lewald Söhne in Fürth, J. Zirnbauer in Ober [n] zell and the aforementioned F. Küchler et al. Sons in Passau [meaning the company of Josef Zirnbauer's father-in-law Franz Kuchler]. ", Cf. Report on Bavaria's participation in the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873. With the use of official sources, published by the Bavarian Trade Museum in Nuremberg, Nuremberg 1874 (references p. 68, 114f. And 170)
5. ↑ The entry in the exhibitor catalog is under group III. Tanned leather. b) Foreign companies. Division 1. Leather produced by organic tanning agents. : "279. Jos. Zirnbauer, leather factory in Obernzell (Baiern). Brown and black narrow leather, grained and drawn. Founded in 1862. 20 horses. Hydropower. Processes 3500 pieces of hides annually into narrow and veil leather. (Blames the shortcomings in the slaughter). ”, Cf. Catalog of the international special exhibition for leather, leather goods and oak culture in Berlin 1877. First edition with supplement, Berlin undated , p. 45. The exhibition took place from September 8th to 29th, 1877 in the parade house of the 2nd Guards Regiment z. F., Karlstrasse 12.
6. ↑ Awarded a silver medal “For excellently tanned and trimmed upper and lower leather”, cf. Bavarian State Industrial, Commercial and Art Exhibition in Nuremberg, 1882. List of the award-winning exhibitors and information about the jury. Published with the authorization of the Kgl. Bayer. State Ministry of the Interior, Munich 1882, p. 27
7. ↑ Awarded a silver medal “For very dignified quality goods”, cf. Bavarian jubilee state industrial, commercial and art exhibition in Nuremberg 1906. List of the award-winning exhibitors and notifications about the jury. Published on September 11, 1906 with the authorization of the Kgl. Bayer. State Ministry of the Royal House and exterior, Nuremberg 1906, p. 77
8. ↑ Cf. Richard Miller: Contributions to the history of the market Obernzell . Published in 19623 on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the market town of Obernzell (= Bd. 9 of the series New Publications of the Institute for East Bavarian Homeland Research . Ed. By Professor Dr. Josef Oswald), Passau 1963, p. 101. Die Niederbayerische Kreis- The industrial and trade exhibition took place in Landshut in 1903. The Bavarian State Trade, Industry and Art Exhibition was held three times - each in Nuremberg: May 15-15, 1882, May 14-15, 1896, May 12-15, 1906.
9. ^ See Toni Siegert: Electricity in East Bavaria. Lower Bavaria from the beginning until 1945. The decentralized power supply. Edited by the Mining and Industry Museum in East Bavaria. Volume 9, Theuern 1988, pp. 25, 547 and 559 ff., 578
10. ↑ The complete quote from an article about the Nuremberg State Exhibition of August 22, 1896: “The most beautiful and outstanding exhibition in the Lower Bavarian leather department is that of Mr. Jos. Zirnbauer in Obernzell. The same shows taste in its arrangement, but especially the leather on display is of excellent quality. The brown and black cowhide on display for military and private customers are unmatched by any German leather factory. The brown, black and shagreen columns on the upper leather as well as the lining columns in different colors are among the best brands that exist. Mr. Zirnbauer is recognized as one of the most ingenious manufacturers. "(Quoted from: Josef Zirnbauer , in: Obernzeller Personalitäten. Ed. By the Art and Culture Circle Obernzell, Obernzell 2014, p. 8)
11. ↑ There is no list of names with the founding members, but a photo of the first Steiger group consisting of nine men from October 1859 shows Josef Zirnbauer as fourth from the right. The picture was printed on the occasion of an exhibition on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Passau Volunteer Fire Brigade in the Passauer Neue Presse on April 29, 2009, p. 24.
12. ↑ See chronicle of the voluntary fire brigade Markt Obernzell
13. ↑ Cf. Informationsdienst-34-2007 of the volunteer fire department Engelhartszell with a chronicle of their history
14. ↑ The award ceremony took place during the 8th German Fire Brigade Day on July 19, 1870 in Linz. See Österreichische Feuerwehr-Zeitung of August 28, 1870, p. 2, and Tages-Post / Linz of July 21, 1870, p. 2
15. ↑ The Fire Brigade Decoration was awarded from 1884 - donated by King Ludwig II - to 1915 for "25 years of loyal and diligent service in a volunteer fire brigade" by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
16. ↑ The Fire Brigade Merit Cross was donated on February 25, 1901 by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria for many years of service and services to fire extinguishing in the Kingdom of Bavaria. The award to Josef Zirnbauer must have taken place between 1901 and 1917.
17. ↑ Cf. history of the girls' school together with toddler care facility in Obernzell , in: Richard Miller: Contributions to the history of the market in Obernzell . Published in 19623 on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the market town of Obernzell (= Vol. 9 of the series New Publications of the Institute for East Bavarian Homeland Research . Ed. By Professor Dr. Josef Oswald), Passau 1963, p. 128 ff.
18. ^ Report in the trade journal Süddeutsche Leder- und Schuhindustrie from April 1, 1908
19. ^ Report in Die Lederindustrie , No. 273 of November 15, 1916
20. ↑ The tombstone of the family grave in the Obernzell cemetery records the names of all children.
21. ↑ The bankruptcy proceedings were opened on July 21, 1930 by the Wegscheid District Court. Lawyer Dr. Eibl, Passau, cf. Report in the Donau-Zeitung , July 23, 1930
22. ↑ See RegioWiki entry Lederfabrik Münch