Metal and lacquerware factory Johannes Großfuß

The metal and lacquerware factory Johannes Großfuß was founded in 1869 by Johannes Großfuß in Döbeln . The company first manufactured various sheet metal goods and was an armaments manufacturer between 1937 and 1945 . The factory was partially dismantled between 1945 and 1947. From 1948 the company became a state-owned company and later merged with the VEB Kombinat Schlösser und Beschläge Döbeln.

Founding history

The company was based in the center of Döbeln on Sörmitzer Strasse until around 1884. The company headquarters was moved from there to "Burgstadel, on Kleinbauchlitzer Strasse". This corresponds to the current location of Grimmaische Strasse with areas in the direction of Am Burgstadel. In 1914 the company was jointly run by Johannes Großfuß and his son Curt Großfuß. Up to this time, the production mainly comprised "fine lacquered economic items such as birdcages, stove umbrellas and coal boxes in splendid execution, better house and kitchen appliances, washstands, bidets, etc."

Weapons development and production 1937 to 1945

In 1937 the company received an order from the Army Weapons Office as one of three companies to further develop the MG 34 . The engineer Werner Gruner , who later worked as a university professor, was involved in the development department of the Großfuß company and was involved in the use of non-cutting deformation and pressed sheet metal parts. Gruner designed several test models as the MG 39. Around 1500 of the 39/41 model were manufactured for testing and a further improved variant was then introduced as the MG 42 , some of which were produced by Großfuß. A further development to simplify the MG 42 was started under the designations MG 42V and MG 45 , but could not be completed by the end of the war in 1945. The production facility in Döbeln was located in a complex whose head building, the “Rotunda Building”, was built in 1938 according to a design by the architect Wilhelm Kreis .

VEB Döbelner Hardware and Metal Works Plant II

In the post-war period, parts of the Großfuß factory were dismantled by 1947. VEB Metallbau Döbeln was founded on July 1st, 1948 as the successor to Johannes Großfuss Döbeln. The VEB was initially run as a branch of the VVB Sanar.

In 1956, Plant II of VEB Döbelner Hardware and Metal Works was established as the successor to the Großfuß Werke. In association with other plants on July 10, 1968, the VEB Kombinat locks and fittings Döbeln followed. In addition to various goods such as locks, handcuffs and safety belts (the above under the brand name Doblina), the combine also manufactured various military equipment and weapon parts such as B. for the assault rifle AK-47 . The later politician Manfred Graetz became one of the department heads in the VEB Döbelner Hardware and Metal Works (VEB DBM) in 1974.

The company premises after German reunification

the Rotunda building in 2016

After the fall of the Wall, the company was sold by the Treuhandanstalt to an investor who soon liquidated it. Of the more than 2,000 jobs in the GDR era, 27 remained.

In 2002 it was decided to demolish the former factory building, except for the listed "Rotunda Building". In the Döbelner Anzeiger it was reported: “Around 5,700 square meters of space will be 'polished' and 54,000 cubic meters of enclosed space will be 'disposed of'. The oldest parts of the building date from 1871. The head building was the youngest part built in 1938. “Contaminated sites such as oil, heavy metals, cyanide from galvanic baths and hydrocarbons such as tri were found in the masonry and floors .

In the period 2002/2003 the listed "Rotunda-Bau" was renovated. It served as the training center for the Autoliv plant in Döbeln until 2014 .

literature

H. Zscherpel: Metal goods industry . In: From home . Festschrift for the Heimatfest Döbeln from June 20 to 2, 1914. Adolph Thallwitz, Döbeln 1914.
Ulrich Hess: The Tümmler company in Döbeln. The influence of innovation and stagnation on the opportunities of a local location . In: Ulrich Hess (Ed.): Companies in the regional and local area 1750–2000 (= publications of the Saxon Economic Archives eV, Series A, contributions to the economic history of Saxony ). tape 5 . Leipziger Universitäts-Verlag, Leipzig 2004, ISBN 3-937209-96-4 , p. 174 .
Günter Wollert, Reiner Lidschun: Infantry weapons yesterday . (1918-1945). In: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world . 3. Edition. tape 1 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-89488-036-8 , weapons, p. 197-201 .