Linen factory - J. Elsbach & Co

The origins of the J. Elsbach & Co linen factory go back to the year 1844/48 in Herford. At that time, Levi Elsbach ran a linen business. In 1873, the brothers Josef and Hermann Elsbach founded the J. Elsbach & Co " Herforder Hemdenfabrik. In the years that followed, the company continued to expand - with a branch in Berlin in 1878 – 1907.  Before 1914, there were further Elsbach factories in Löhne, Lage, Bielefeld, Berlin, Enger and Oerlinghausen.  In 1907, the company was transformed into Elsbach AG (Aktiengesellschaft). Hermann Elsbach, Julius Elsbach, Isidor Baruch, Max Czollek, Kurt Elsbach (1928 - 1938) were among the members of the board of directors. In 1914, the company employed 1200 workers and several thousand home workers (1908: 2300). In the 1920s, the number of employees declined significantly. In the course of the Aryanization, the members of the Elsbach family had to sell their shares. Kurt Elsbach was held in preventive detention in Berlin from May to September 1938 (the background to this was the demand that he hand over the shares he owned). On January 9, 1939, Kurt Elsbach managed to emigrate to South America. He had to abandon his home furnishings. In Südamerika Kurt Elsbach led a dignified life in accordance with the circumstances. In 1947, Kurt Elsbach returned to Herford and was able to return to his former position in the company in 1948. In 1953, Kurt Elsbach applied for a disability pension. Kurt Elsbach died in Hamburg on April 3, 1954, at the age of 61.