Mechanical color weaving - Raff & Sons

The company "Raff & Söhne", originally founded in 1830 in Jebenhausen near Göppingen by David Raff, born in 1765 in Illereichen near Memmingen, was at that time still a trading business with weaving goods (until 1840). From 1840 on, Isak Raff (son of David Raff) and Simon Raff (son of Moses Raff and thus a cousin of Isak) joined the company "A. Gutmann & Co", which was newly founded at that time by Abraham Gutmann, as partners. The company flourished and in 1861 the company moved to Göppingen. In the same year the company was separated. Abraham Gutmann kept the company and Isak and Simon Raff founded a new factory company in the weaving mill, whereby the two of them reverted to the name of the parent company "Raff & Söhne". Shortly after, Albert Raff (son of Isak Raff) and Elias Raff (son of Simon Raff) took the place of their fathers. In the commercial register of Göppingen, which began in 1866, the two were registered as the sole partners of the company. In 1870 Elias Raff died. Simon Raff joined the company again as guardian of the heirs. In 1872 Albert Raff was the sole owner of the company. In 1873, Albert Raff moved to Munich and also transferred the company's main operations there. Only a branch office remained in Göppingen. When Simon Raff also moved to Munich in 1875, this led to the closure of the Göppingen branch. In 1896, the Augsburg branch was founded. In 1907, the Augsburg plant was expanded by 250 looms and a colored weaving mill was acquired in Meersburg. In 1930, there were 450 employees, a company health insurance fund, a savings and death fund, a support fund and a vacation home in Meersburg. After the expropriation of the Jewish owners in 1940, the company name was changed to Aura-Weberei GmbH. In 1955 the company belonged to the Augsburger Buntweberei and was closed a short time later. According to information on a company invoice from 1915, the office and warehouse were located in Munich in Schillerstraße.