Wilhelm Sundheim

Wilhelm Sundheim

Wilhelm Sundheim-Giese ( Guillermo Sundheim de la Cueva ; born July 3, 1840 in Gießen , † August 7, 1903 in Huelva ) was a German entrepreneur and consul in Huelva, Spain. He owes a part of the structural, economic and cultural development of the province of Huelva towards the end of the 19th century.

biography

After a short stay in England, Sundheim came to Seville as a sales representative at the age of 24. In view of the enormous opportunities for industrial development the region offered, Wilhelm Sundheim settled in Huelva in 1865. He married Justa de la Cueva y Camporredondo in 1866, who came from an influential family in La Palma del Condado . The couple had four children.

Here he was soon able to realize his economic and cultural ambitions. In 1879 he was named the city's adoptive son, and the street his property was on was named after him. During an official visit by King Alfonso XII. in March 1882 he was received at the Sundheims' house.

Wilhelm Sundheim died in 1903 of a typhoid fever . He is considered to be the most important representative of the foreign bourgeoisie, who settled in this place during the years of industrial expansion.

Contribution to the development of Huelva and the province

Sundheim brought about the establishment of the group Rio Tinto Company Limited by drawing the attention of various foreign entrepreneurs to the mines of Cuenca Minera , including Heinrich Doetsch and Hugh Matheson. His connection to this company, which he represented in Spain and Portugal, lasted until 1876 when he lost the trust of the management.

He also helped to ensure that the then port of Huelva was connected to the Cuenca Minera by a railway line and promoted the modernization of this port so that the increasing amount of goods from the mines could be transported on. It enabled the construction of rails and stations that connected Huelva with Zafra (local train station) and Seville ( Huelva-Término train station ). In 1875 he acquired the rights to build the line to Seville, which he in turn sold to the Madrid-Zaragoza-Alicante (MZA) railway company . A year later he bought the concession for the line to Zafra under the name Sundheim-Doetsch .

His contribution on a cultural level was no less outstanding. Sundheim was one of the organizers of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America, on the occasion of which he had the Casa de Colón built, brought the almost abandoned monastery of La Rábida back into consciousness and helped found the Real Sociedad Colombina Onubense historical society as early as 1880 . He was also active as a skilled marketer of the beaches of Punta Umbría , which he made known among the English mine directors. In 1889 Wilhelm Sundheim was involved in founding the Real Club Recreativo de Huelva football club .

source

• María Asunción Díaz Zamorano: Huelva. La construcción de una ciudad. Excelentísimo Ayuntamiento de Huelva, Huelva, 1999. ISBN 84-88267-10-X .

Web links

• Blog with information about Wilhelm Sundheim