Shoe store Leiser

Due to the economic boom, more and more Jewish families settled in Kreuzberg's Oranienstra&szlig in the 19th century. Hermann Leiser, who ran an egg business, also lived here. In 1889, his nephew Julius Klausner, then fifteen years old, moved to Berlin with the intention of opening a shoe shop. With the financial support of his uncle, Julius set up a shoe shop in the backyard of Oranienstraße 34 in 1891. Due to the low prices offered, demand from customers quickly increased. After only two years, the sales space became too small, and „the business-minded Julius“ expanded his business. At first, two stores were added in the Kreuzberg district, before Julius opened the largest shoe store in Berlin at Tauentzienstraße 20 in 1906 (with the company already trading as Leiser). Shoes are still sold there today. The boycott of Jewish businesses in April 1933 caused the first difficulties for the shoe business. In 1935/37, Julius Klausner was forced to sell parts of his company. Klausner narrowly escaped arrest by the National Socialists and fled to Buenos Aires, Argentina. During the war, only three Leiser branches remained. After the war, Klausner received some of his company shares back. However, after his death all family shares were sold.  Today, the shoe retail company is located in Augsburg, Bavaria. What remains is the memory of a young and hard-working businessman, and the name Leiser, which still exists today. Today, instead of the shoe shop, there is a cafe/bar called Luzia. The archway of house 34 no longer exists, because instead the space was used for a larger shop. The garden of the Berlin district center was the early courtyard of the shoe shop. Julius sold his first shoes there at that time.