Léo Hirsch (entrepreneur)
Léo Hirsch (* 1842 in Altena ; † January 15, 1906 in Brussels ) was a textile merchant and founder of the Brussels department store Hirsch & Cie .
Life
He was born as Levi Hirsch in 1842 in Altena in the Prussian province of Westphalia . His father Israel Hirsch (1790–1873), son of Joseph Hirsch, immigrated to Altena from Klein Gerau in 1817 , his mother was née Sanders.
After finishing school, he first worked with Philipp Freudenberg, 9 years his senior, in a dry goods store in Aachen . When Freudenberg took over a fashion store in Elberfeld , he followed him, became his shop steward and became engaged to Freudenberg's younger sister Johanna (1848–1901), who also worked in the store. However, the Freudenberg family wanted to cut this connection and sent Johanna to Philip's in-laws in Brussels to work in the lace fabric shop of their brother-in-law Siegfried Löwenstein and learn French. Léo followed her to Brussels and both decided to set up their own textile business there. After the Freudenbergs finally agreed, they married on April 13, 1869. In the same year they opened a fashion shop with tailoring in the Rue Neuve and quickly had success with the imitation of exclusive Parisian models. Her apartment was upstairs. In 1873 they established u. a. Sally Berg as an apprentice. In 1881 Hirsch became purveyor to the court of the Belgian Queen Marie Henriette . Since 1882 he published a fashion magazine. In the 1880s and 1890s, he founded further branches under the Hirsch & Cie company in European cities such as Amsterdam , Leidseplein 23-25, Cologne , Obenmarspforten 13-17, Dresden , Prager Strasse 6-8 and Hamburg , Reesendamm, which he gave his employees left.
He also volunteered as a member of the Consistoire central israélite de Belgique and several Jewish charities.
family
The Hirsch couple had 6 children. Jules (* 1870) died after 2 months, followed by Arthur (1873–1933), Ivan (1867–1907), Regina (1871–1941), Berta (1875–1918) and Alice (1881–1965). In poor health, Johanna had to undergo annual spa stays from 1879, first in Vichy and later in Karlsbad . In 1886 the family of seven moved into a separate apartment on Boulevard du Régent , at the corner of Rue Zimmer, near Warandepark . In 1894, on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary and the wedding of their daughter Regina with her cousin Julius Freudenberg, Johanna and Léo Hirsch decided to set up a philanthropic foundation for the benefit of the poorest members of the Israelite community in Brussels. Under the influence of the Belgian chief rabbi Armand Bloch , however, the purpose was changed so that a rest home for children of all denominations was built on the Belgian coast with the foundation money. According to plans by the architect Franz de Vestel , who had already built the office building in Rue Neuve, a house was built in Middelkerke , which opened on August 1, 1901 and was called Villa Johanna. A few months later, on December 6, 1901, Johanna died of complications from diabetes in Merano . Her husband Leo followed her on January 15, 1906 at the age of 64.
The children inherited the flourishing Hirsch & Cie company. Arthur had meanwhile studied law at the University of Brussels and was admitted to the bar in 1898. Ivan remained unmarried. Berta married her cousin Hermann Freudenberg, the brother of her brother-in-law Julius, who was also the manager of the Gerson department store in Berlin . Alice was married to a Rudolf Bottenwieser. Arthur initially took care of the company's interests, but initially left the operational management to the executive staff. As a member of the Belgian Workers' Party , he was involved a. a. 1896 when the famous Brussels People's House was built by the architect Victor Horta and later took on a professorship at the University of Brussels and other government functions. The management of Hirsch & Cie was later taken over by Arthur's three sons Lucien, Robert and Jean Paul.
literature
- Véronique Pouillard: Hirsch & Cie. Bruxelles, 1869-1962, Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles, Brussels 2000, ISBN 2-8004-1228-3 .
- Eliane Gubin: Dictionnaire des femmes belges: XIXe et XXe siècles , Lannoo Uitgeverij, Tielt, 2006
- Regina Lee Blaszczyk: Producing Fashion: Commerce, Culture, and Consumers . University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hirsch, Léo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hirsch, Levi (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German couturier |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1842 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Altena |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 15, 1906 |
| Place of death | Brussels |