Sarotti chocolate factory (Hattersheim)

Former Sarotti chocolate factory

chimney

The Sarotti chocolate factory is a listed building in Hattersheim am Main .

history

Berlin

The Sarotti chocolate company originated in 1852 on Friedrichstrasse in Berlin as a confectioner and goods store Felix & Sarotti - the origin of the name Sarotti has not yet been clarified. After several name changes and relocations, Sarotti Chocoladen und Cacao Aktiengesellschaft had a modern production facility built in 1911 at Teilestraße 12/13 in Berlin-Tempelhof on an area of 47,500 m². The result was a factory building that brought the building owner the public accusation of megalomania - a misjudgment, as it later turned out. The expansion to the Sarotti plant in Hattersheim was therefore entirely logical for the circumstances at the time.

Hattersheim

As the predecessor of the Sarotti plant in Hattersheim, the Maingau sugar factory was founded here in 1884 . It existed until 1912 and was briefly continued as Chemische Fabrik Maingau GmbH in 1912/13 , but had to cease operations during the First World War .

Sarotti AG share 1924

In 1922 Otto & Quantz GmbH from Frankfurt am Main acquired the property and sold food there, especially Swiss chocolate. Shortly afterwards, the company itself began producing chocolate based on Swiss recipes. Structural extensions were necessary for production as early as 1925, for example the workshop building that has been preserved.

In 1928 Otto & Quantz merged with the Linda company for condensed milk and baby meal with limited liability, Lindau Bodensee to form German shares for Nestle products . At the same time, Nestlé took over Sarotti GmbH in Berlin, which a year later acquired the factory in Hattersheim.

During the Second World War , production had to be stopped due to a lack of raw materials, and other products, e.g. B. Coffee substitute produced. Chocolate was only produced again from 1949.

In the 1950s the plant was modernized and expanded. Further new buildings were added in the 1960s, and at that time Sarotti was the largest employer in the Main-Taunus district with around 2000 employees . However, the focus of chocolate production was soon relocated to the Sarotti factory in Berlin, and the number of employees fell until the Hattersheim factory was finally closed in 1994.

Buildings and cultural monuments

The following buildings have been preserved:

the brick chimney, which comes from the founding factory of the 19th century and is a kind of landmark for Hattersheim,
the workshop building from 1925 with its two-storey corner parts and the single-storey middle part, structured by cornices and window groups,
the southern pavilion, which is more richly equipped in the window shapes and in the formation of a gable and
the porter's pavilion, which with its oval finish and typical of the time, from the expansion period in the 1950s with its flat roof, is worth preserving.

Planning for the use of the cultural monument

Collection of ideas

Historic Sarotti advertisement

The city administration of Hattersheim had called on the citizens of the city to submit proposals for a re-use of the factory facilities and the new building area chocolate factory including the roundabout. Numerous ideas were examined and finally the councilors decided on a development plan that provides for the public use of the listed building. One vision that was designed for the former Sarotti workshop building in the chocolate factory building area is to use it as a café.

Museum from the 21st century

Plans for a museum for the Hattersheim History Association are well advanced. One focus should be the industrial and urban history of Hattersheim. A historical roaster from the Sarotti company, an old sales counter and advertising films from the chocolate factory are just as much a part of the history association as many Sarotti Moors.

The Sarotti Mohr has disappeared from the chocolate packs . A white magician has been Sarotti's trademark since 2004. The Mohr is only emblazoned on the nostalgia edition. In Hattersheim, the Mohr is an unforgettable trademark. A separate section in the new city museum is to be devoted to him and chocolate production in the Mainstadt.

The museum is housed in Sarotti's old workshop building. The Hattersheim investor Selim Balcioglu and his holding company bought the listed industrial building from the 1920s and the adjoining area in May 2019 with the promise to finally turn this project into reality. Extensive revitalization and restoration work is currently being carried out. In addition, the workshop building will be expanded by a new extension and equipped with a café. Thus, after many years of planning, the realization of the Hattersheim City Museum is getting closer.

The detailed concept for the three exhibition departments - city history, archaeologist and industrial history - is still being worked on.

However, the future is not yet assured.

50.06475 8.4918Coordinates: 50 ° 3 ′ 53 ″ N , 8 ° 29 ′ 30 ″ E