Hermann Tietz
Encyclopedia
Hermann Tietz was a German merchant of Jewish origin. Tietz was born on April 29, 1837 in Birnbaum an der Warthe near Posen
(today Międzychód
, Poland
) and died on May 3, 1907 in Berlin
). He was buried in the Weißensee Cemetery
.
Tietz was the first to carry out the idea of the department store
in Germany
and founded the chain store later known as "Hertie", which is now owned by Arcandor
.
In 1882, the first department store of Tietz was opened in Gera
(Thuringia
, Germany
) by his nephew Oskar Tietz. Oskars brother Leonhard Tietz
later founded his own chain store ("Kaufhof"). After stores in smaller towns like Bamberg
, Erfurt
, Rostock
, Stralsund
und Wismar
had been successful, Tietz established his first department store in Berlin
. In 1900, Herrmann Tietz opened a store in Leipziger Straße, where it was located close to the department store Wertheim
, the biggest store in Europe at the time. In 1904, Tietz opened another luxurious store at Alexanderplatz
. The impressive and palace-like stores were designed to offer the customers a unique shopping experience. Another example is the Alsterhaus in Hamburg
(established in 1912). With ten department stores Tietz was the largest chain in Berlin. In 1927 some 13,000 employees worked in the Tietz department stores.
The Tietz family divided the German market into two spheres of interest. Herrmann and Oscar Tietz concentrated on the South and East, while Leonhard Tietz
(“Kaufhof”) was active in the West and in Belgium
.
In the Third Reich, all businesses of the Tietz family were "Aryanized"
(i.e. seized and given to new owners) and the family members emigrated. In 1933, Georg Karg, the new owner, changed the company’s name to the less Jewish-sounding “Hertie Department Stores” as an abbreviation of Hermann Tietz.
In 2007 Hertie made a comeback. Due to a crisis of the Karstadt department store group, Karstadt dissolved 74 of their stores. These stores were the smallest ones and been unprofitable at least. The "new" relaunched Hertie department store group re-opened them under the name "Hertie". Today all former business relations to Karstadt have been severed and Hertie is independent. Hertie had planned to expand, but on May 20, 2009 it was decided that all 54 Hertie department stores are to close
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
(today Międzychód
Miedzychód
Międzychód is a town in Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, about 75 km west of Poznań. It is the capital of Międzychód County. Population is 10,920 .-Notable residents:* Manuel Joël , philosopher...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) and died on May 3, 1907 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
). He was buried in the Weißensee Cemetery
Weißensee Cemetery
The Weißensee Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located in the neighborhood of Weißensee in Berlin, Germany. It is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. The cemetery covers approximately and contains approximately 115,000 graves. It was dedicated in 1880....
.
Tietz was the first to carry out the idea of the department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in Germany
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...
and founded the chain store later known as "Hertie", which is now owned by Arcandor
Arcandor
Arcandor AG is a holding company located in Essen, Germany that oversees companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was created in 1999 through the merger of Karstadt Warenhaus AG, which was founded in 1920, and Quelle...
.
In 1882, the first department store of Tietz was opened in Gera
Gera
Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
(Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
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...
) by his nephew Oskar Tietz. Oskars brother Leonhard Tietz
Leonhard Tietz
Leonhard Tietz was born March 3, 1849 in Birnbaum an der Warthe, Province of Posen, Prussia and died November 14, 1914)...
later founded his own chain store ("Kaufhof"). After stores in smaller towns like Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
und Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
had been successful, Tietz established his first department store in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1900, Herrmann Tietz opened a store in Leipziger Straße, where it was located close to the department store Wertheim
Wertheim (department store)
Wertheim was a large department store chain in pre-WWII Germany. It was founded by Georg Wertheim and operated four stores in Berlin, one in Rostock, one in Stralsund , and one in Breslau....
, the biggest store in Europe at the time. In 1904, Tietz opened another luxurious store at Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
. The impressive and palace-like stores were designed to offer the customers a unique shopping experience. Another example is the Alsterhaus in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
(established in 1912). With ten department stores Tietz was the largest chain in Berlin. In 1927 some 13,000 employees worked in the Tietz department stores.
The Tietz family divided the German market into two spheres of interest. Herrmann and Oscar Tietz concentrated on the South and East, while Leonhard Tietz
Leonhard Tietz
Leonhard Tietz was born March 3, 1849 in Birnbaum an der Warthe, Province of Posen, Prussia and died November 14, 1914)...
(“Kaufhof”) was active in the West and in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
In the Third Reich, all businesses of the Tietz family were "Aryanized"
Aryanization
Aryanization is a term coined during Nazism referring to the forced expulsion of so-called "non-Aryans", mainly Jews, from business life in Nazi Germany and the territories it controlled....
(i.e. seized and given to new owners) and the family members emigrated. In 1933, Georg Karg, the new owner, changed the company’s name to the less Jewish-sounding “Hertie Department Stores” as an abbreviation of Hermann Tietz.
In 2007 Hertie made a comeback. Due to a crisis of the Karstadt department store group, Karstadt dissolved 74 of their stores. These stores were the smallest ones and been unprofitable at least. The "new" relaunched Hertie department store group re-opened them under the name "Hertie". Today all former business relations to Karstadt have been severed and Hertie is independent. Hertie had planned to expand, but on May 20, 2009 it was decided that all 54 Hertie department stores are to close