Rudolph Karstadt

Rudolph Karstadt (16 February 1856 in Grevesmühlen – 15 December 1944 in Schwerin) was a German entrepreneur.

Rudolph Karstadt plaque at the first Karstadt department store in Wismar
Exlibris Karstadt

Biography

Born near Lübeck on February 16,1856, Karlstadt apprenticed in Rostock and then worked in his father’s textile shop in Schwerin.[1]

With a loan of 1000 thaler from his father and with the help of his two sisters, Karstadt opened his first store, ″Tuch-, Manufaktur- und Konfektionsgeschäft" at the Krämerstr. 4 in Wismar on 14 May 1881.[2]

In 1919 Karstadt AG and Theodor Althoff KG merged.[1]

By 1920 he owned over 30 shops across Germany. The Karstadt Warenhaus AG, which is what his chain of stores was called by 1920, continues as Arcandor.

When Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933 they persecuted the Jewish owners of department stores. However Karstadt continued to expand.[1]

References
  1. "Karstadt Quelle AG | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  2. "14. Mai 2006 - Vor 125 Jahren: Rudolph Karstadt eröffnet sein erstes Geschäft". Westdeutscher Rundfunk (in German). Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. "Karstadt Judenboykott - 1933 dismissal letter of Fritz Wolff". uri.mitkadem.co.il. Retrieved 2022-02-23.

Further reading

See also


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