Reich Association of German Furriers

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The Reichsbund deutscher Kürschner e. V. , variously also Reichsbund der Deutschen Kürschner e. V. , was founded in Leipzig in 1882. The umbrella association of independent furriers at the time comprised 14 district associations with member companies of the furrier trade. The office was in Leipzig. The Berlin and Brandenburg District Association e. V. had an office in Berlin-Schöneberg, Goltzsstrasse 41.

According to its self-image, the Reichsbund represented the interests of its members in professional, commercial, social and every other economic respect. He also looked after the interests of the furriers as an employer.

history

  • Pin of the Association of German Furriers (1900)

  • Button of the Reichsbund deutscher Kürschner e. V.

"Fur fashion 1908-1909 - chosen by the Association of German Furriers"

In 1835, individual traders and furriers visiting the Leipzig trade fair had come together to form an association of furriers and fur traders , known as “von der Couleur”, for a regular meeting in the “ Funkenburg ”. The main purpose of the association, however, was to cultivate friendships and socializing rather than business interests, even if four lines of an association's poem put the latter in the first place: "Rough trader, furrier comes here, thinks that this is your stock exchange, first seriously to talk about trade and change, then to break the necks of the bottles with fun [...] ”.

The predecessor of the Reichsbund and also the first fur association for all of Germany was the Association of German Furriers , founded on April 8, 1880 , which was part of the Reichsbund der deutschen Kürschner e. V. rose. The chairman of the first association was Friedrich Erler , his successor the Leipzig Obermeister and city councilor (from 1882) Hermann Pfeiffer (* 1817, † 1912)., Who headed the association for almost 30 years. He was followed by Riccius , Munich and then Oskar Wenke . The reorganization was associated with a significant change in the organization, with the formation of 14 district associations, the management was decentralized.

The original association was created at the suggestion of the Leipzig tobacco trade. According to the statutes, its purpose was to protect and promote the common interests of the German furrier trade and its relatives. However, they also wanted to try to make themselves independent of the dominant influence that Paris exercised on the fashion of fine fur articles not only in Germany, but throughout Europe and America. They also wanted to confront the overwhelming competition of clothing, especially that of Berlin, as a united one.

Since 1881, the Association of German Furriers has organized a "novelty exhibition" every year in the first week of the Leipzig Smoke Goods Easter Fair, as a sales exhibition for fur clothing, furrier supplies , hats, caps and other items . Since 1921 a " German fur fashion show " has been held every year , "it was the attraction of the Leipzig Easter fair". These events continued into the period after the Second World War, with the fur fair in Frankfurt am Main, with fur model competitions in the GDR and the annual model competition of the furrier trade that still takes place today . As a rule, their results were only presented in-house, like most of the pre-war competitions. The last, 60th Frankfurt fair took place in spring 2008 as “Fur & Fashion”.

When employers 'associations were formed on a large scale at the beginning of the 20th century, a number of furrier employers' associations were formed in 1904. They were soon merged into a central association. Among the founders were in particular Herbst-Braunschweig , the father of a later Reichsbund chairman, as well as Oskar Kirsten , Curt Quedenfeld and the chairman Oskar Wenke. These two organizations existed side by side until 1921. Oskar Wenke, Honorary Furrier Master, was chairman of both associations (from 1919 to 1925 in the Association of German Furriers). Wenke was the owner of the Carl Hülsse company . He then devoted his free time to the newly founded Reichsbund. He earned great services both for trade fair events and for the craft in general. Philipp Manes , the fur industry publicist who was murdered by the National Socialists, said that Wenke might have succeeded the chairman of the previous club, Hermann Pfeiffer, if he hadn't had to struggle with increasing hearing loss.

In 1926, the Reichsbund der Kürschner merged with some other organizations in the fur industry under the umbrella organization Argem , the working group of the German smoking and fur associations based in Leipzig . At the beginning of 1930 the Argem was reorganized in Adepe , the working group of the German fur industry in Leipzig . The purpose of this central organization of the German tobacco goods associations was to "safeguard and promote all common interests of the fur industry that go beyond the specific issues of the individual professional associations". Furthermore, the connection with the fur associations abroad should be established, promoted and cultivated.

While France was also a leader in world fashion for the fur industry, the USA pioneered the rationalization of skinning. While in Europe most furriers still learn the entire manufacturing process of fur products - especially the fur sewers from the Greek fur center Kastoria - in the USA the different work processes were already distributed among specialized workers in larger companies at the beginning of the 20th century. In the spring of 1925 a number of German furriers, under the leadership of the Berlin Fur Association, traveled to New York as a study commission to study the working and sales methods on the spot.

After the First World War, the fur industry saw the first meeting between French and German experts as "of historical importance for the German and French fur industry". They met on May 12, 1929 to greet them at the house of the Fédération de la Fourrure in the Rue Montesquieu in Paris, before the actual program began with a tour of leading French fur companies. Since the chairman of the Reichsbund of German furriers, City Councilor Richard Herbst , was unable to attend , the Berlin master furrier Adolf Doll gave the acceptance speech for the invitation. His Berlin colleague Paul Larisch then thanked him again in French.

At the end of 1929 the association comprised around 2,400 individual members, 215 of whom were based in Leipzig. The German furrier school in Leipzig was founded in 1928 by the Reichsbund der furriers. In 1930, the International Fur Exhibition - IFA, took place in Leipzig, probably the largest and most important self-presentation of the fur industry. Member of the extended board, representing the Reichsbund der Kürschner, was its chairman Richard Herbst. In addition to Dr. Johannes Stoye , the Reichsbund also at the simultaneous World Fur Congress .

In 1931 Adolf Doll was elected chairman. The company Adolf Doll A.-G. (1930) or Adolf Doll & Sons was one of the leading companies in the manufacture of fur models with a remarkably high export share.

Richard Herbst , City Councilor in Braunschweig, was for many years the first chairman of the Reich Association of German Furriers. Philipp Manes wrote about his work in the Reichsbund: “A man who approached his difficult and difficult office with ardent effort, devoted himself to it with great seriousness and never failing input. He seldom succeeded in bringing the 13 district associations under one roof, in winning over the men of so many different kinds in the German Gaue for joint action. Each district association wanted to have its own interests protected and jealously guarded its separate rights. Therefore one never came to far-reaching, fruitful decisions, and every action, generously planned, came to nothing. […] Richard Herbst, as chairman of the large association, suffered from the fact that his residence was not in Berlin. He lacked the fertile spring and remained condemned to inactivity in Braunschweig. But his will was always pure, and he honestly tried to transform the clumsy Reichsbund into an active and forward-looking body. He was just as unsuccessful as his successor in office, Adolf Doll . "

In 1933, following the takeover of government by the National Socialists, the Reichsbund was brought into line, and management passed from Adolf Doll and Arnold Bisegger to Reichstag member Adolf Heincke , Lüneburg . In the same year, the Reichsbund der Furriers and Cap Makers in Germany was brought into line , its founder and chairman Adolf Feldmann resigned from his office. In 1941, Philipp Manes stated that the fur industry's formerly great goals came to an end: “The solid structure of the Reichsbund did not remain unshaken either - resistance became noticeable, there was detachment - separatists appeared. For the first time in the history of the Reichsbund there was no unanimous and unanimous disagreement at the Easter mass in 1933. "

Other associations in the fur industry at that time

In 1941 Philipp Manes listed the following German fur industry associations in addition to the Reichsbund deutscher Furriers:

  • Association of German tobacco products, finishing and dyeing works - Leipzig , founded in 1899
  • Association of German Fur Manufacturers - Leipzig , founded in 1919
  • Association of Berlin Smoking Companies - Berlin , founded in 1920
  • Association of German Welding Manufacturers - Leipzig , founded in 1921.

All of these associations had come together in 1926 in the "Argem" , the working group of the German smoking and fur associations, based in Leipzig . At the beginning of 1930 the Argem was reorganized into the "Adepe", working group of the German fur industry based in Leipzig . Its purpose was "to safeguard and promote all common interests of the fur industry that go beyond the special affairs of the individual professional associations", as well as establishing and maintaining contacts with fur associations abroad.

In addition to the Adepe associations, the following also existed in 1930:

  • Reich Association of Independent Furriers and Cap Makers Germany Headquarters Berlin e. V. , founded in 1905. It mainly organized the interim masters of skinning and at the time had about 1200 members.
  • Employers' Association of Berliner Pelzfabrikanten e. V. , founded in 1924, around 45 members at the time.
  • Association of tobacco companies for Rhineland and Westphalia e. V. Headquarters in Cologne , founded in 1922, at the time 12 members.
  • Reich Association of the United German Skin and Fur Trade "Hufa" e. V. Berlin , founded in 1915, at the time 283 members. This Reichsverband organized the skin and fur trade, which is closely related to the tobacco goods trade (in the leather trade the skins of some young animal species are called fur ).

In 1930 the main workers' organizations in the fur industry were:

  • Central Workers' Association of German Furriers ; The legal successor was the Reichsbund deutscher Kürschner e. V. Leipzig .
  • Association of employees in the tobacco industry for Leipzig and the surrounding area e. V. , founded in 1923, around 240 members in 1930
  • The fur trade workers (so-called "market helpers") were in 1930 in the general association of the employees of the public enterprises and the persons and goods seat Berlin organized
  • Around 12,000 workers in the fur industry (dressers, dyers, furriers, etc.) were members of the German clothing workers' association based in Berlin .

Names, facts

In March 1925, the board of the Association of German Furriers consisted of five members. The first chairman was City Councilor Richard Herbst, Braunschweig; second deputy chairman A. Bisegger-Kühn, Düsseldorf. The assessors were Adolf Doll, Berlin and Carl Ficus (Carl Kovatschek G. m. B. H., Frankfurt am Main). The main committee also included Arnold Bissinger, Düsseldorf and Curt Quedenfeld (Max Erler company); Oskar Wenke was the honorary chairman.

The highest body was the general assembly, consisting of the board of directors and the representatives to be elected by the district associations, 25 each for one vote.

The association was made up of 14 independently organized district associations, each with its own statute, committee and chairman:

  • 1. District Association of Lower Saxony , Otto Kracke, Hanover
  • 2. Lower Saxony District Association , Curt Menzel, Breslau
  • 3. District Association Berlin and Brandenburg , Adolf Doll, Berlin
  • 4. District Association of East Saxony , Johannes Klette, Dresden
  • 5. District Association of Rhineland-Westphalia , A. Bisegger-Kühn, Düsseldorf
  • 6. Middle Rhine District Association , C. Ficus, Frankfurt am Main
  • 7. District Association of Northwest Germany , Carl Steinicke, Altona
  • 8th District Association of Southwest Germany , Carl Schwenzke, Mannheim
  • 9. District Association of East and West Prussia , Obermeister Robert Stein, Königsberg
  • 10. District Association of West Saxony and Thuringia , Kurt Quedenfeld, Leipzig
  • 11. District Association of the Province of Saxony , Max Kuntze, Magdeburg
  • 12. District Association of Bavaria , Obermeister Anton Dirnagl, Munich
  • 13th District Association of Pomerania , Georg Gelien, Stettin
  • 14. District Association of Württemberg and Hohenzollern , Erhard Klumpp, Stuttgart.

Web links

Commons : Verein Deutscher Kürschner  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Reichsbund Deutscher Kürschner  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Among other things, on fur storage notes for furriers, before 1933, Verlag Louis Koch, Halberstadt .
  2. ↑ a b c d Philipp Manes : The German fur industry and its associations 1900-1940, attempt at a story . Berlin 1941 Volume 4. Copy of the original manuscript, pp. 169, 327, 343–344, 360 (→ table of contents) .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Roeger: Reichsbund der Deutschen Kürschner e. V. Its development, activity and importance . In: Die Pelzkonfektion Nr. 1, March 1925, Berlin, pp. 89-92.
  4. ↑ From the associations . In: Der Rauchwarenmarkt No. 201, Berlin, 10th year, September 17, 1922, p. 6.
  5. ↑ a b c d Gottlieb Albrecht: The Leipzig fur market with special consideration of its tobacco trade . Inaugural dissertation at the Thuringian State University of Jena, Bottrop 1931, pp. 21–23, 26 ( → table of contents ).
  6. ^ Paul Schöps: Leipzig - The way to the fur city . In: Die Pelzwirtschaft No. 1, January 1965, pp. 24, 34.
  7. ^ A b c Walter Fellmann: The Leipziger Brühl . VEB Fachbuchverlag, Leipzig 1989, pp. 150, 211, 212.
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g Karl Baum: The professional and business associations of the smoking and fur goods industry . In: IPA - international fur exhibition, international hunting exhibition Leipzig 1950 - official catalog . Pp. 400-404.
  9. ^ Jean Heinrich Heiderich: The Leipziger Kürschnergewerbe . Inaugural dissertation to obtain a doctorate from the high philosophical faculty of the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität zu Heidelberg, Heidelberg 1897, p. 117.
  10. ↑ a b c d Philipp Manes : The German fur industry and its associations 1900-1940, attempt at a story . Berlin 1941 Volume 3. Copy of the original manuscript, pp. 49, 99, 128–129, 146 ( → table of contents ).
  11. ↑ Max Nasse: America's fur industry - results of a study trip by German furriers and fur manufacturers. Berlin 1925, p. 5.
  12. ^ Philipp Manes : The German fur industry and its associations 1900-1940, attempt at a story . Berlin 1941 Volume 2. Copy of the original manuscript, pp. 206–211.
  13. ^ Kurt Nestler: Tobacco and fur trade . 1st edition. Max Jänecke Verlagbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1929, p. 9 .
  14. ↑ IPA - International Fur Exhibition, International Hunting Exhibition Leipzig 1950 - Official catalog . Pp. 33, 47.
  15. ↑ Guide through the Brühl and the Berlin fur industry , Werner Kuhwald Verlag, Leipzig 1938, p. 134.
  16. ^ Philipp Manes: The German fur industry and its associations 1900 - 1940 , Volume 4, Berlin 1941, manuscript p. 409.
  17. ^ Otto Feistle: Rauchwarenmarkt and Rauchwarenhandel. Verlag W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1931, p. 71 (→ table of contents) .