Paul Neefe

Paul Neefe (* 1507 in Chemnitz ; † October 17, 1566 there ) was a cloth merchant and former mayor of the city of Chemnitz.

At the age of 16 he learned the trade of a squire. In 1530 he married Ursula, daughter of Jobst Wildeck. He was already a master cloth maker and long-distance trader. In 1540 and 1542/48 he was councilor, and in 1548 together with Agricola . In 1553 he was under Mayor Agricola as well as councilor in 1554 before he became mayor of Chemnitz in 1556.

Paul Neefe was a 5th generation cloth merchant. He became wealthy by trading in his cloth. He delivered to Plauen , Regensburg , Linz , Breslau and Zwickau , among others . Between 1541 and 1564 he traded 2,877 bales of cloth for a total of 107,210 guilders . In 1559 he taxed 8,000 florins and was the richest citizen of Chemnitz. After his death, his two sons Paul (around 1559 - July 5, 1600, father-in-law of Arnold Engelbrecht ) and Zacharias took over the business.

Due to various merits of his brother Johann rose Emperor Ferdinand I on 20 May 1559 in the Reichstag to Augsburg Dr. med. Johann Neefe and his brothers Paul, Jacob and Caspar in the hereditary nobility.

Today Neefestrasse in Chemnitz reminds of the cloth makers and patrician family of the Neefes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Neefe, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Cloth merchant and mayor of Chemnitz
DATE OF BIRTH	1507
PLACE OF BIRTH	Chemnitz
DATE OF DEATH	October 17, 1566
Place of death	Chemnitz