Eduard Hirsch Posen

cf.: http://www.offenbach.de/offenbach/themen/unterwegs-in-offenbach/kul...

The leather goods manufacturer Eduard Hirsch Posen was born on July 28, 1792 in Offenbach. He is one of the most important personalities in Offenbach's history and was not only a successful businessman, but also made a contribution to the common good. From 1818 to 1850 he was a member of the board of directors of the Israelite community and from 1821 held the office of first head of the Israelite religious community. In 1822 he founded the Israelite hospital and a cash register for the training of Jewish craftsmen. The introduction of the German sermon in the synagogue can be attributed to his initiative, as well as the beautification of the former church on Grosse Marktstrasse, formerly known as Judengasse. The improvement of the Israelite religious practice is said to have been an important concern of Posen. With the same devotion with which he devoted himself as a board member of the Israelite community, he was also active as a community council for the interests of his hometown. So he was elected as a member of the city council in 1830. He held this honorary position until his death in 1852. Posen played a major role in the lending establishment founded in 1829, as well as in the Sparkasse and the poor relief organization founded in 1832. The introduction of public gas lighting is also thanks to his commitment. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the General Sick Support Association. Poznan played a major role in the lending company founded in 1829, as well as in the savings bank founded in 1832 and poor relief. The introduction of public gas lighting is also thanks to his commitment. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the General Sick Support Association. Poznan played a major role in the lending company founded in 1829, as well as in the savings bank founded in 1832 and poor relief. The introduction of public gas lighting is also thanks to his commitment. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the General Sick Support Association. He expanded the manufactory store he had taken over from his father in 1811 by opening a consignment and shipping business combined with a haberdashery. In 1838 he turned to leather goods manufacturing, which, supported by his two sons Jakob and Carl, rose to become one of the first companies in the leather goods industry. Flawless goods and punctual deliveries assured them of customers at home and abroad. Belgium was one of the main sales areas for cases, wallets, toiletry sets, logbooks and notebooks. As early as November 1838, wallets were made with the lithograph brought to Offenbach from Senefelder. Gold pressed leather goods have been produced since 1840 and supply contracts have been concluded with Parisian companies since 1841. For reasons of space, the company was relocated to the former inn "Zum Darmstädter Hof" in Frankfurter Strasse 58 in 1851. The production program got bigger and bigger. Bags with leather-covered hangers and purses were made. In 1856 the Gürtler Hinkel, who had invented the clasp lock, was hired so that he could not deliver for any other company. In 1867 the world exhibitions in London and Paris brought the honors they deserved. Branches were set up in Berlin, London, Paris, and even in South America, such as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile. so that he couldn't deliver for any other company. In 1867 the world exhibitions in London and Paris brought the honors they deserved. Branches were set up in Berlin, London, Paris, and even in South America, such as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile. so that he couldn't deliver for any other company. In 1867 the world exhibitions in London and Paris brought the honors they deserved. Branches were set up in Berlin, London, Paris, and even in South America, such as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile. The relationship with the employed workers was unusually personal: they were concerned about the well-being of the workforce and even procured inexpensive food for them. Eduard Hirsch Posen died on December 6, 1853 in Offenbach and was buried with great sympathy among the population. In the obituary of the magazine "Intellektivenblatt" from 1854 he is praised as a "true philanthropist" and as a "man of the people in the noblest sense of the word". The article ends with the words: "The heroes are built triumphal arches, the scholars and artists are built with monuments, the good citizen builds a monument for himself in the grateful hearts of his fellow men wash away, but in the annals of Offenbach's history he will live on until the latest grandchildren ".

Posen was actually brought back to mind by one of his descendants, namely the French philosopher and playwright Gabriel Honoré Marcel, who received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in Frankfurt am Main in 1964.

Eduard Posen is given here in a portrait from around 1840. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the commissioner of the painting. However, the painting was likely intended for representative purposes. In 1840 Posen had been a member of the city council for 10 years, so the painting could have been made for this purpose.

AND FROM THE OFFENBACH TOWN HALL WEB SITE

The name Posen is recorded with brilliance in Offenbach's industrial history. It is associated with the rise of the leather goods industry, but also with the history of the Jewish community. Until it was extinguished in 1930, the Eduard Posen & Co. company could call itself the “oldest Offenbach portfolio factory”. Earlier start-ups had long since disappeared from the market. In its prime, the export-strong company had branches in Paris, London, Stockholm and Bucharest, in the metropolises of South America and in Florence, Athens and Lisbon.

It all started in the house at Frankfurter Strasse 5, where a son was born to the manufactured goods dealer Posen in 1792, who was given the first name Eduard Hirsch. In 1831, at the time of a flourishing trade fair in Offenbach, this son converted the company into a forwarding company with "commission business". There was no longer anything to be earned after Frankfurt had regained its old location as a trade fair location in 1836. Eduard Posen therefore rebuilt again. In 1838 he founded a "portfolio and case factory".

It quickly attracted attention due to a wealth of innovations that were then also taken up by other leather goods manufacturers. In 1848, for example, Posen launched the first gold-stamped wallets. Later, lithographs were also used as jewelry for wallets. Bag hangers from the House of Posen had been covered with leather since 1847.

In 1856, Posen introduced bags with flap locks. Even before that, you could order wallets with a lock. At the large Hessian state trade fair that took place in today's Dreieichpark in 1879, Posen attracted attention with a photo album measuring 100 x 50 cm. A music box was built into the album, and the figure of a Germania was embossed into the leather of the lid. Smooth and always ready for innovation, the Posen company reacted to the changes in the market and in fashion. It was able to rake in medals at the world exhibitions in London and Paris.

In 1850 the company acquired the former first-class hotel “Darmstädter Hof” on Frankfurter Strasse, near the Kaiserstrasse intersection. After its destruction in the Second World War, what was then known as the “Europa House” was built on this site. The Grand Duke used to stay at the “Darmstädter Hof” when he visited Offenbach. The hall of the hotel was also used by the then “German-Catholic” and later free-religious community before they could move into their consecration hall on Schillerplatz.

Eduard Hirsch Posen died in 1853. As early as 1818, when he was still a very young man, he was appointed to the board of the Jewish community. Three years later he was even entrusted with the office of mayor. He was considered a pioneer of a liberal religiosity. For example, the introduction of the German-language sermon in the synagogue is attributed to him. He was famous as the founder of a Jewish hospital and a cash register for training Jewish craftsmen.

Eduard Posen also served his hometown as a member of the local council. He was a member of the committee from 1830 until his death. Numerous municipal institutions should go back to his initiatives, the gas lighting of the streets, for example, the municipal savings bank and the pawnshop.

For decades, a bronze plaque with a picture of the deceased and an honoring text hung in the entrance area of ​​the office building on Frankfurter Strasse. He concluded with confidence: "The waves of time will certainly wash away the name Posen from his corpse stone, but in the annals of Offenbach's history it will live on until the latest grandchildren". The corpse stone was by no means "washed away". It marks Posen's grave in the Jewish part of the Old Cemetery.