Wellner
| Wellner | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Company with limited liability |
| founding | 1854 as Argentanfabrik multiple name changes: Cutlery Factory Wellner , August Wellner and Sons , Auer Cutlery and Silverware (ABS), Wellner / ABS GmbH |
| Seat | Schneeberg , Germany |
| management | Managing director: Siegfried Günzl |
| Branch | metallurgy |
| Website | http://www.original-wellner.de/ |
The Wellner company was a large-scale producer of cutlery and metal tableware ; its headquarters were in Aue in Saxony between 1854 and 1958 . From 1958 to 1992 the product range was further produced and partially expanded at the same location under the new name Auer Besteck- und Silberwarenwerke (ABS). Since around 1993 there has been a successor company that has been producing parts of the previous range with a small workforce on original machines in a new factory since 2001 in the neighboring town of Schneeberg . The building complex in Aue was vacated and the city administration was looking for new users for a long time. The district office, which was newly established in 1990, moved into the former Wellner administration building. Most of the factory rooms were demolished except for one wing. Since 2014, there have been a number of tenants and temporary uses in the preserved and renovated building.
Company history
From its foundation in 1854 to the end of the First World War
The company was founded in Aue in 1854 by Christian Gottlieb Wellner in the Auerhammer's existing buildings as an Argentan factory. Constant expansion of the production facilities and the workforce led to a flourishing company that made metal household items such as spoons from Argentan, but also pipe lids . The son and later main entrepreneur Carl August Wellner continued to successfully run the company from 1858 and even set up branches and agencies in other European countries. In 1892, Carl August handed over management of the company to his children, which eventually became three factories of their own. On September 23, 1913, the private factory was converted into an AG . Christian Wellner's second son, Gottlieb Wellner, founded the cutlery factory in Aue, which came onto the market with its own nickel silver products under the GOWE label . Therefore the products of the AG were then marked with "Original Wellner". After all, the cutlery factory CF Hutschenreuter is also a result of the company split-up, Hutschenreuter was Christian Wellner's son-in-law. Hutschenreuter also manufactured other products for the table, such as candlesticks.
In the years of the First World War , the company lacked numerous male workers, which led to an increased recruitment of women, the industrial worker was also born here. In addition, the state encouraged the production of so-called war-essential products such as cases for rifle ammunition and grenades , and the previous range of products had to be reduced.
From 1918 until the expropriation in 1946
After the end of the war, the production of cutlery and tableware was resumed on a larger scale. So-called semi - finished and semi - finished products such as sheet metal, wires, rods and rods were added. The factory was able to expand more and more and establish itself on the world market. By the mid-1920s, there were 36 melting furnaces , six rolling mills , many wire drawing systems , presses, punching machines and small machines in use. In-house, new departments such as cutting and punching, stamp manufacture, carpentry, construction department, motor vehicle repair workshop, iron foundry and steam hammer mill were set up for an in-house mechanical engineering company. Around 6,000 people produced 300,000 tons of German silver, half of which was processed into end products in our own factory. Cutlery made of stainless steel , which was produced for the first time , was also included in the range. In the times of the Great Depression until about 1932, the sale of cutlery fell sharply and only financial aid from major banks was able to avert the bankruptcy of the factory.
From 1934 a new Reich decree banned the export of nickel silver products, which led to a reduction in production. The Second World War brought radical changes . This time the production lines had to be changed so that cases for anti-aircraft bullets could be produced on them. In addition came forced laborers and prisoners of war used. The company name was Sächsische Metallwarenfabrik August Wellner Söhne AG until November 1, 1941 , then August Wellner Söhne AG .
Division and resumption of production as a state-owned company
After the expropriations in 1946 and the dismantling of the large production facilities as reparation payments to the Soviet Union , it was possible to start again with the production of cutlery in the 1950s. The shell company by Wellner in 1950 by Frankfurt shifted and there as from 1958 GmbH continued. The expropriation of the factory owner family in 1946 also led to the transfer of a total of 16 properties into the ownership of the city of Aue. The factory in Aue was given the name Auer Besteck- und Silberwarenwerke (ABS) and was expanded as a GDR focus company. Around 1970 around 900 people produced metal tableware, which was successfully exported again.
Wellner from 1990
After the fall of the Wall in 1990 , the heirs of the company (the Hillebrand family) who lived in the old Federal Republic of Germany received the premises back and had some dilapidated parts of the building removed. However, after some mismanagement, the cutlery production at the Aue site was given up in 1995. Because there were no buyers for the huge complex and no further money was to be invested in the building, makeshift security work was carried out on behalf of the Aue city administration.
As a result of the production stop at the Aue location, two newly founded companies claimed part of the name for their company, as they also produce cutlery and tableware - Wellner / ABS GmbH in Schneeberg and Wellner Silber GmbH , based in Aue . As the spiritual successor in the tradition of the Wellner-Werke and the Auer cutlery and silverware works , only Wellner / ABS GmbH produces the well-known Wellner decors such as Mozart and the entire range of earlier ABS and porcelain cutlery . The importance of the Wellner brand in the present can be seen in the variety of counterfeits that are still on the market alongside premium table cutlery.
architecture
Production halls
Buildings in the 1880s and brief description of the buildings
Instead of the original smelter factory, Carl August Wellner had a completely new factory complex built, the first part of which was opened in 1884. In 1897, another part was put into operation with a factory building. To secure production, a nickel silver foundry and rolling mill were established in 1900 .
The mostly four-story, multi-wing buildings stood on an area between Wettinerstrasse, Auerhammerstrasse, Industriestrasse and Marie-Müller-Strasse. Including free courtyard space, the factory took up around 20,000 square meters. The architects had provided the facades of the typical industrial halls with many decorative decorations, which were often related to production. A clock tower with a bronze bell was also put on. The bell had been made by Bernhard Zachariä in Leipzig. Presumably the clock bells were used to announce the work shift, which struck every quarter of an hour.
After emptying
The listed, imposing ensemble of buildings had been as good as empty since the 1990s, but there were different usage concepts. The city administration favored the establishment of a technical center in the buildings, in which secondary school students from the region are prepared centrally and practically for working life and can, for example, try out different machines. The Free State of Saxony has budgeted eleven million euros in funding for the renovation of the building and the acquisition of modern machines . In May 2009, Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich carried out an on-site inspection , who was convinced of the feasibility and usefulness of the Technikum project . But the Saxon state refused.
In connection with the liquidation of the company and the uncertain future of the factory building, the tower clock and the striking mechanism were placed on the bell bottom in November 2011 . The heavy bells of 100 kilograms each with a diameter of 40 centimeters and the inscription from the Leipzig company Bernhard Zachariä were then stolen. The thieves could not be identified.
Demolition decision 2013
In the late autumn of 2013, the city administration decided on the final demolition of almost all production buildings except for the building wing with the characteristic clock tower along Marie-Müller-Strasse and Industriestrasse. The planning of the demolition and the coordination of all work was carried out by the AIA engineering office , the demolition company Sippel und Sohn won the tender for the practical implementation. In mid-December, the dismantling of the outbuildings in the courtyard area began. Historically significant facade decorations were carefully removed in order to "preserve them for posterity". A lion's head was easy to remove, while the elephant in the middle of the gable had to be cut out along with the masonry. This Wellner company symbol and the neighboring figures are made as stucco work . The second phase of the demolition began in June 2014, during which three large and three smaller buildings above ground could be removed by the end of August. In August / September the building followed along Auerhammerstrasse and further parts on Zinnstrasse. Special care was required here, as this hall was adjacent to a residential building. The building materials for the demolitions carried out by the end of August 2014 were disposed of or recycled . By 2015, all work had also been completed underground.
Basic renovation and new uses
The 4th Saxon State Exhibition 2020 , which was held in several cities at the same time, took place among other things. a. in the Wellner area in the courtyard and on the first two floors of the monument complex described here. Regardless of the one-off use, the remaining parts of the building will be prepared for later permanent use with funds from the city and with subsidies. By the end of 2016, at least the renovation of the building envelope was completed. The premises then served as a temporary cold store for work and building materials. There has been a new user for the corner building at Marie-Müller-Straße / Industriestraße since the end of 2014, who took over the renovation and completed it in spring 2015.
Administration building
In 1924, the heirs of Carl August Wellner had an administrative and social building completed by the Leipzig architect Johannes Koppe as a closed building ensemble made of yellow bricks, which was connected to the main production building by a covered corridor on the second floor. The connecting corridor was destroyed in a storm in 2006 and then removed. The former Wellner administration building served as the seat of the Aue district administration during the GDR era , after 1990 the newly established district office moved in , which continues to maintain a branch here after the formation of the new Erzgebirge district .
Company-owned dwellings
The numerous apartment hunters at the Wellner factory prompted the company management under Peter Paul Gaedt to found the Erzgebirge Housing and Settler Society around 1928 . On July 16, 1929, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of twelve workers' houses of four residential units each on the building land acquired in the Neudörfel area . The buildings, which were completed in the same year, were given names such as Elefantenhaus , Dreimännelhaus or Sonnensiedel, and with these company logos gave references to the client. Finally, three more houses were built in Lößnitz .
Range and market position
The main range included household and hotel goods made of metal such as silver, nickel silver or stainless steel, including cookware , kitchen and table utensils and cutlery .
After the First World War , the company had established branches and representations abroad in 47 countries in Europe, Central America and Africa, and it made huge profits. There were also wellness shops in many places where customers could buy Tafel products.
At the peak of production around 1930, around 4,000 to 5,000 dozen cutlery and other metal tableware were manufactured in the Saxon metal goods factory August Wellner Söhne . Wellner processed around 10,000 kg of fine silver within a year .
Wellner's customers once included luxury hotels such as the Baur au Lac in Zurich, Hotel Kempinski in Berlin and the Maloja Palace Hotel in St. Moritz. But luxury steamers such as the Titanic (UK) and the Hapag -Liner Imperator (Germany) also used Wellner cutlery in their restaurants.
Sources and literature
- A collection of material on the history of the Wellner works is located in the district office of Annaberg-Buchholz, Aue District Archive.
- From the history of Auer cutlery production. In :: eprosa - magazine of Stadtwerke Aue GmbH , No. 01/2009.
Web links
- Homepage of Wellner / ABS GmbH from Schneeberg
- WELLNER design
- WELLNER corporate design
- WELLNER ambience
Individual evidence
- ^ Website of the Wellner factory in Schneeberg ; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ↑ Pictures with description on the website of the Association Of Small Collectors Of Antique Silver (ASCAS)
- ^ A b c d Heinz Poller: Wellner began his life's work 160 years ago. In: Wochenspiegel announcements , Sept. 24, 2014, p. 4.
- ↑ Auction on www.beyars.com for a candlestick by C. F. Hutschenreuter from 1930 ; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Information from Jana Hecker, press officer at the Aue city administration, from May 2009.
- ↑ Great name drives us. Carl August Wellner died 100 years ago - the tradition of the Auer company lives on on a small scale in Schneeberg ( Memento from December 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), In: Freie Presse , May 24, 2009.
- ↑ Imprint Wellner Silber GmbH ( Memento from September 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Images of Wellner Design forgeries of unknown origin and 4 original Wellner table cutlery decorations from Wellner / ABS GmbH Schneeberg .
- ↑ a b Erik Kiwitter: How did the crooks get the bells out of the tower? ; In: Free Press , November 2, 2012.
- ↑ Auer wrestle for technical center in Wellner-Brache. Entrepreneur network mobilizes for central career orientation at Tillich - Dresden rejected the project - But Erzgebirge do not give it up ( Memento from December 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), In: Freie Presse , May 29, 2009.
- ↑ Julia Heinke: Historical bronze bell from old factory tower disappeared: Who stole the bells from Aue? , In: www.chemnitz.Bild.de ; Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ↑ Information from a public tour of the monument in May 2015,
- ↑ Homepage AIA AUE GmbH ( Memento from October 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Homepage Sippel and Son
- ↑ Building demolition measures and building security of the former Wellner works at www.aue.de; accessed on February 5, 2014
- ^ Wellner demolition work . In the Wochenspiegel , August 13, 2014.
- ↑ The Wellner area in focus . In: Wochenspiegel from March 20, 2015.
- ↑ Westliches Erzgebirge , Wir-Verlag Walter Weller, Aalen 1991, p. 15, ISBN 3-924492-56-5 .
- ↑ Aue in the mirror of historical images. Industrial and urban development in the 19th century ; Ed. Stadt Aue, Geiger-Verlag, Horb am Neckar, ISBN 3-89264-540-X .
- ↑ Dr. David N. Nikogosyan: August Wellner & Sons: an article for ASCAS - Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver website. Retrieved September 3, 2017 .
- ↑ East Germany: The miracle of Aue . In: The time . August 5, 2004, ISSN 0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed September 3, 2017]).
Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 58.4 " N , 12 ° 41 ′ 46.2" E