Tönnies Wellensiek
Tönnies Heinrich Wellensiek (born May 4, 1821 in Muccum ( Bünde ); † May 19, 1903 in Bünde) was a cigar maker and entrepreneur who founded the cigar industry in the Ravensberger Land and especially in Bünde.
After the decline of the linen weaving industry in the Bünder Land, some citizens began producing cigars from home in 1842. In 1843, the cigar maker Tönnies Wellensiek, who was trained in the art of cigar making in Bremen, began producing cigars in Ennigloh . According to legend, the young Tönnies Wellensiek went to Bremen with a box and from there returned to Bünde on foot, laden with 75 pounds of tobacco. His wife initially supported him in rolling cigars. Friedrich August Steinmeister later became a partner in his cigar factory Steinmeister & Wellensiek, which was founded in 1856 .
The cigar industry shaped the economy in the Herford district until the 1960s and ensured a livelihood for large parts of the rural population, who often worked from home. In 1912 there were no fewer than 46 cigar factories in the cigar town of Bünde, North Rhine-Westphalia. A place in Bünde is named after Wellensiek. The city has also erected a memorial for him and Steinmeister.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wellensiek, Tönnies |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wellensiek, Tönnies Heinrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German cigar maker and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 4, 1821 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Muccum |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 19, 1903 |
| Place of death | Frets |