((österreichbezogen))
The Rothberger department store, formerly at Stephansplatz 9 and 11, was a large textile department store in Vienna's city center before 1938.
((österreichbezogen))
The Rothberger department store, formerly at Stephansplatz 9 and 11, was a large textile department store in Vienna's city center before 1938.
The company founder Jacob Rothberger was born on December 9, 1825 in Albertirsa in Pest County (Hungary) and worked for several years as a tailor in Paris, where he also completed his journeyman's piece. In 1855, he applied for a trade license as a tailor for the inner city of Vienna, which he received in 1856. Rothberger also kept a stock of finished clothes from the very beginning. In 1861, he opened a small store on the third floor of the house at Stephansplatz 9. Part of the business concept was also a clothes bank, where customers could hand in their old clothes and receive reductions on the purchase price of new textiles.
The developing ready-to-wear business was supported by an imperial patent dated December 20, 1859, which replaced the old guild regulations with new, more liberal trade regulations. Rothberger's company expanded and the building on Stephansplatz was acquired. However, the condition of the building was considered questionable and a dispute arose over the magistrate's demolition order that lasted for years. In 1886, the new "Kleiderpalast", the work of architects Fellner & Helmer, was opened. With its electric lighting, hydraulic elevator and steam central heating, the new building met the latest technical standards. The Victor Schmidt & Söhne confectionery store and a lingerie store were the new tenants.
In 1893, Rothberger, whose company now employed hundreds of piece masters in Vienna, also acquired the house at Stephansplatz 11 and had it remodeled by the proven team of architects. The two houses were connected behind the narrow building at Stephansplatz 10, which was situated between them.
In the course of the new building and necessary adjustments to the building line restrictions, however, a conflict arose between the patriarchal Rothberger and the Vienna City Council, and the conflict escalated, not least because of the prominent location opposite St. Stephen's Cathedral and the increasing anti-Semitism of small businesses. The municipal council meeting on May 8, 1894, therefore witnessed furious scenes.The Christian Social municipal councillor Josef Gregorig, for example, regretted the fact that "a Judenburg will rise on an old German site, a mausoleum of old pants". However, this did not initially hinder the prosperous progress of the company. When Jakob Rothberger died on March 30, 1899, he left behind a considerable fortune. In the obituaries, he was praised as the founder of large-scale industrialized clothing manufacture in Austria. His sons Heinrich (* September 13, 1868 in Vienna; † January 20, 1953 in Montreal), Alfred (* October 24, 1873 in Vienna; † May 23, 1932 in the same city) and Moriz (* December 24, 1865 in Vienna; † September 20, 1944 in the same city) then took over the management of the company - together. To mark the 50th anniversary of the company, which had already been established in 1867 as a k.u.k. On May 20, 1905, every buyer received an American watch in good condition to mark the 50th anniversary of the company, which had already been established as a purveyor to the imperial and royal court in 1867. Nothing is known about further celebrations.
The company remained successful in the first third of the 20th century and was run as a family business. In 1938, however, after the "Anschluss", it was "Aryanized"; the buyer was Wilhelm Bührer, a businessman from Berlin, who soon got into financial difficulties. At the end of the war in 1945, both Rothberger houses burned down. Renovation and reconstruction work then began, which was pre-financed by a bank. However, the Rothberger heirs eventually sold the property to an insurance company and the reconstruction was in line with the aesthetic expectations of the post-war period.