Werner Messmer (entrepreneur)

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Werner Messmer (born May 6, 1927 in Espasingen , today a district of Stockach ; † May 21, 2016 in Radolfzell am Bodensee ) was an industrialist and honorary citizen of the city of Radolfzell am Bodensee. Messmer was also the recipient of the Federal Cross of Merit and the Gold Staufer Medal from the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Life

Messmer attended primary school in Espasingen from 1932 to 1937 and then the Suso grammar school in Überlingen on Lake Constance. According to his own information, Messmer was deployed as an air force helper in Friedrichshafen in January 1943 , followed by the Reich Labor Service in November 1943, which he performed in a munitions factory in Haid- Trochtelfingen . In February 1944, Messmer was drafted into the Wehrmacht . His infantry training in Constance was followed by officer training at the Schwäbisch Gmünd Officers School in April 1944 . As an officer, he was captured by the Americans during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 , from which he was released in 1947.

From 1947 Messmer attended the commercial vocational school in Radolfzell and completed his apprenticeship as an industrial clerk after a shortened training period at the Chamber of Commerce in Constance . Messmer founded Werner Messmer & Co. in Radolfzell, together with his future wife Erika and a foreman, as early as 1949, a special factory for electric car switches. Until 1971, it had over 1000 employees and branches in Gailingen , Gottmadingen and Böhringen . Messmer also had holdings or partnerships in Mexico and Brazil , where car switches of the same name were produced for Volkswagen AG .

Werner Messmer has been involved in charitable institutions, associations , schools , kindergartens and churches for many years . In 1997 the city of Radolfzell awarded him honorary citizenship. Together with his wife Erika Messmer, who died in 2014, Werner Messmer founded various foundations that support and finance a wide range of social and charitable projects, such as B. a kindergarten and a clinic, which were named after Messmer. 

At the end of 2016, the Werner and Erika Messmer Foundation announced that the Bochum public prosecutor had initiated proceedings against Werner Messmer in 2007 for tax evasion in a "particularly serious case" after the Wuppertal tax investigation team in 2006 as a result of a tax CD purchase by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Westphalia had become aware of Werner Messmer. According to this, Messmer evaded capital gains from a Liechtenstein account (“foundation”) between 2000 and 2004 ; in addition, the deadline for a voluntary disclosure had expired. The required tax back payment amounted to 513,000 euros. In addition, Messmer made a payment of 500,000 euros in order to “obtain exemption from punishment”, whereby the criminal proceedings were discontinued in 2010.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See website of the Werner and Erika Messmer Foundation. ( Memento of the original from June 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.messmer-stiftung.de
  2. ↑ Torsten Lucht: Tax CD led to Radolfzell becoming an honorary citizen: Werner Messmer had to pay over one million euros , Südkurier, December 9, 2016.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Messmer, Werner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH May 6, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Espasingen , today a district of Stockach
DATE OF DEATH May 21, 2016
Place of death Radolfzell on Lake Constance