Georg Schäfer
Encyclopedia
Georg Schäfer was a German
industrialist and art collector. After his death, most of his art collection was housed in the Museum Georg Schäfer
in Schweinfurt
.
In 1939 Schäfer ousted Hermann Barthel from the firm. With his brother, Otto Schäfer, he expanded wartime production by the firm, which changed its name to "Fischers Aktien-Gesellschaft (FAG) Kugelfischer." Despite Allied bombardments of Schweinfurt during World War II
, the Kugelfischer firm continued to make ball bearings, employing 11,700 employees at the end of the war, including slave labor from concentration camps. Georg Schäfer supposedly shielded his Jewish sales director, Hugo Holzapfel, from detention by the anti-Jewish Nazis.
Georg and Otto Schäfer presided over the revival and expansion of FAG Kugelfischer during the Wirtschaftswunder
era of the 1950s. At Georg Schäfer's death in 1975, FAG Kugelfischer employed some 30,000 workers around the world. Schäfer's heirs left the business during a financial crisis in 1993, and in 2001 the company merged with the Schaeffler Group
in a hostile takeover.
Among the honors awarded to Georg Schäfer are the Great Federal Cross of Merit
, the Bavarian Order of Merit
, and an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich
.
opened to the public.
Not all of the foundation's paintings are housed in the museum. In 2003 the Schäfer collection foundation loaned 42 sixteenth-century German paintings to the State of Bavaria for display in the Veste Coburg castle.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
industrialist and art collector. After his death, most of his art collection was housed in the Museum Georg Schäfer
Museum Georg Schäfer
The Museum Georg Schäfer is a German art museum in Schweinfurt, Bavaria, Germany. Based on the private art collection of German industrialist Georg Schäfer, the museum primarily collects 19th-century paintings by artists from German-speaking countries....
in Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
.
Life
Upon the death in 1929 of his father (also named Georg Schäfer), Georg Schäfer (II) inherited a one-third interest in the Friedrich Fischer steel ball bearings firm. At age 29 Schäfer became the commercial head of the firm, while his brother-in law Hermann Barthel directed the technical side. In 1929 the firm did not join a merger of Swedish and German ball bearing manufacturers. But as the Nazi Germany regime prepared for war, the Fischer firm's independence proved to be an advantage, and it experienced a rapid expansion. Already in 1933 Schäfer was a Nazi city councillor in Schweinfurt and leader of the "Sonderring Wälzlager" (Ball Bearing Special Circle) which oversaw the supply of ball bearings in the German armament campaign.In 1939 Schäfer ousted Hermann Barthel from the firm. With his brother, Otto Schäfer, he expanded wartime production by the firm, which changed its name to "Fischers Aktien-Gesellschaft (FAG) Kugelfischer." Despite Allied bombardments of Schweinfurt during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Kugelfischer firm continued to make ball bearings, employing 11,700 employees at the end of the war, including slave labor from concentration camps. Georg Schäfer supposedly shielded his Jewish sales director, Hugo Holzapfel, from detention by the anti-Jewish Nazis.
Georg and Otto Schäfer presided over the revival and expansion of FAG Kugelfischer during the Wirtschaftswunder
Wirtschaftswunder
The term describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II . The expression was used by The Times in 1950...
era of the 1950s. At Georg Schäfer's death in 1975, FAG Kugelfischer employed some 30,000 workers around the world. Schäfer's heirs left the business during a financial crisis in 1993, and in 2001 the company merged with the Schaeffler Group
Schaeffler Group
The Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG is a privately owned major manufacturer of rolling element bearings for automotive, aerospace and industrial uses. In August 2008 the firm agreed to a staggered €12 billion acquisition of larger rival Continental AG, whereby Schaeffler will defer taking a...
in a hostile takeover.
Among the honors awarded to Georg Schäfer are the Great Federal Cross of Merit
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
, the Bavarian Order of Merit
Bavarian Order of Merit
The Bavarian Order of Merit is the order of merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria and the Bavarian people"....
, and an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich
Technical University of Munich
The Technische Universität München is a research university with campuses in Munich, Garching, and Weihenstephan...
.
Art collection
In the 1950s Schäfer assembled a large collection of paintings by 19th-century German artists. Efforts to house the collection in a public museum in Schweinfurt began in the 1950s, but city officials and Schäfer’s heirs did not reach an agreement until 1988. The family temporarily lost control of the collection during the 1993 FAG Fischerkugel financial crisis. In 1997 Schäfer's heirs established a foundation to protect the recovered portion of the collection, and in 2000 the Museum Georg SchäferMuseum Georg Schäfer
The Museum Georg Schäfer is a German art museum in Schweinfurt, Bavaria, Germany. Based on the private art collection of German industrialist Georg Schäfer, the museum primarily collects 19th-century paintings by artists from German-speaking countries....
opened to the public.
Not all of the foundation's paintings are housed in the museum. In 2003 the Schäfer collection foundation loaned 42 sixteenth-century German paintings to the State of Bavaria for display in the Veste Coburg castle.