Stünzi Sons of Silk Weaving

Factory building, villa and park Stünzi 1886

Stünzi Sons was founded in Horgen ( Canton of Zurich , Switzerland ) in 1838 . The company developed into an internationally active group during the heyday of the Swiss silk industry (until 1929).

Prehistory «Little Lyon»

Villa Thalhof, built in 1851

In the 14th century, the canton of Zurich already saw the beginnings of a silk industry, which started with David & Heinrich Werdmüller in the 17th century and became the most important processing industry in the canton from 1840 to 1900. In the 1850s and 1860s, it was the world's second largest silk fabric producer. Her specialties were black taffeta and handkerchiefs for sifting flour.

In particular, on the left bank of Lake Zurich, the up-and-coming cotton spinning and weaving paved the way for silk manufacture, which became important in Horgen in the 19th century. In 1825 the two companies Stapfer, Hüni & Cie and Abegg & Staub started manufacturing silk. Höhn & Baumann followed in 1828 , Stünzi Söhne in 1835 and Höhn & Stäubli in 1846 . In 1847 Horgen had ten silk manufacturing businesses and in 1870 well over a thousand villagers worked for the silk industry. At the end of the 19th century, Horgen was called "Little Lyon". Its main market was the United States, which had a consulate in Horgen from 1878 to 1898.

The diverse textile machine industry and its suppliers working for the silk industry grew stronger and overtook them at the beginning of the 20th century. In Horgen these are companies such as Abegg , Grob , Schweiter , Stäubli and Vollenweider .

history

The brothers Johannes (1813–1888) and Gottlieb Stünzi (1820–1875) began producing silk fabrics on handlooms in their home on the Risi in Horgen. In 1851 they had their own commercial and residential building built in the “Thalhof” in Horgen. The Stünzi & Söhne company had silk fabrics manufactured at home on over 2000 handlooms in the cantons of Zurich, Zug and Schwyz and had its own manufacturing shops there . The finished fabrics were mainly exported to England.

From 1875 the Stünzi brothers switched to mechanical silk looms for the production of fabrics. In 1882 they started mechanical operations in the four-story factory building with a commercial building, which was built from 1880 onwards. In 1885 the Villa Stünzi was built with a park next to the Thalhof and opposite the factory buildings. In 1888 the factory was expanded with a shed building.

The sons of Johannes Stünzi, Hans Stünzi (1851–1908) and Wilhelm Stünzi (1858–1914), and Gottlieb Stünzi's son, Alfred Stünzi, had completed training at home and abroad and began to work in the company. After the deaths of the two founders and Alfred Stünzi, the management was taken over by Hans and Wilhelm Stünzi. In 1893 a silk weaving mill was opened in Lachen (Canton Schwyz) .

“Rote Fabrik”, Zurich-Wollishofen, built in 1892

In 1899, the company was converted into a joint stock company under the name of “Aktiengesellschaft der Seidenwebereien formerly Stünzi Sons”. In the same year the Rote Fabrik in Zurich-Wollishofen was bought.

In order to be able to counter the protective tariff policy , own manufacturing facilities were set up in France and America: in 1902 the silk weaving mill in Faverges (Haute-Savoie) was bought and in 1912 a factory was opened in America ( Pennsylvania ) (first in Reading , later in Ephrata ). Sales offices opened in Lyon , Paris , London , New York and Buenos Aires .

In the meantime, Hans Stünzi's sons, Hans (1889–1925) and Walter, had joined the management team. After the death of his uncle Wilhelm and his brother Hans, Walter Stünzi (1891–1975), representing the third generation, became the sole owner of the company. In the 1920s the main sales areas were England, America and France. In 1926 the companies were converted into a holding company under the name Aktiengesellschaft für Seidenindustrie based in Glarus.

The depression of the 1930s led to the gradual decline of the company. In December 1987 the factory buildings of the former Stünzi silk weaving mill in Horgen were blown up and a residential complex with around 50 apartments was built on the site between Seestrasse and Neudorfstrasse.

In 1975 Walter Stünzi died and in 1993 the company was liquidated. The two villas have been preserved as witnesses to industrial history and are under monument protection .

The archive holdings of the Stünzi Söhne AG company have been processed by the Swiss National Museum .

literature

Gilbert Züllig: Family and company chronicle Stünzi . Commemorative publication 1978
Former silk factory, Villa “Stünzi” and Park, Seestrasse 224 and 229 and residential building “Talacker”, Seestrasse 207. In: Zürcher Denkmalpflege 12th report 1987–1990
Silk Memory: Stünzi and Sons AG, Horgen