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German & Austrian Hutmachers

Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
Hello David, I live in remscheid and go every weekend to Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Bonn.
There are always about 50 to 70 km in radius. The markets are quite large number of more then 100 exhibitors.
Bonn is probably the largest market. Called Rheinauen.
 
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Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
Hello Steve. Today I got three new hats, one a black attache Mayser Gr.59 and
a dark blue Wilke Gr.59


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mayserfedora3.jpg



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Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
The last is an cylinder of Aleisa, The Chapeau Claque factory was founded in 1905 by Albert Eisele Achern.
Therefore, this year marks 100th anniversary, which still is not sure
whether this is done publicly or family. The factory was then the fifth
Folding cylinder factory in the area Achern. She was named Aleisa, after the
Initials of the founder and the first letter of the city founder
(Albert Eisele Achern). Today there are only three Chapeau Claque factories
world

zylinder.jpg


zylinder2.jpg

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zylinder4.jpg


that is the story about Aleisa: http://www.ga.og.bw.schule.de/hp/schueler/ags/begabtgeschichte/zylinderhut/endfassung.pdf
 
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Messages
17,517
Location
Maryland
Manfred, The Wilke is interesting because they were located in Guben prior to WWII. I have an old Wilke Melone from that time period. I guess some company ? starting using the name again in the 1960s. Also very interesting regarding Aleisa. It appears they are now the only company in the World making high quality colapsable top hats. It would be interesting to see their operation.

http://www.aleisa.de/index.html
 

Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
with Wilke you probably right. I also think it is the same company.
I have also been found yet!

Translation
The heavily damaged and divided city Guben pointed towards the end of the war, considerable structural damage to the plants at the hat factory. After debris removal and cleanup by the Gubener was the first of Carl Gottlob Wilke gas factory in the street again set in motion. As early as 1946, 500 employees worked at the factory. Also, the Berlin-Gubener hat factory could start production again. Beginning in 1948, and the remaining two smaller factories remaining after the decision of the Soviet Military Administration (SMAD) expropriated and placed under the VEB as the "Association of Publicly Owned Enterprises fur" in Leipzig. (Reader's letter from the United VEB Hutwerke Guben to the "young generation":
"For and against home schmaltz", May 1962). The machines from the Berlin Gubener hat factories were dismantled and all the Soviet Union made, were recalled just as well as important technical specialists there.

Ender of the 40s was first re-exported, mainly to the Soviet Union the party Rasno export. After the founding of the GDR 1949 1952 was founded the "VEB United Hutwerke Guben," comprised of five plants and employed 1,200 people. As late as the 50s began a process of shrinking global hat industry, so that many works had in other parts of the Republic close by and by, the VEB in Guben remained. 1970, the "VEB Hutkombinat Guben" was founded, which was then not many companies connected to out Guben. In the 80s it was even the co-location or mapping of all the works of the hat industry "VEB textile combine Cottbus", the line of hats and caps remained at the Gubenern. In Guben in the mid-80s, still employs 650 workers and employees in the hat factory, including the relevant premises were about 1000th 1988 2.3 million hats and caps were produced with a turnover of almost 58 million East marks. Of these, usually about 80% were exported to Eastern Europe and the rest in kapitalisitische countries.

After the fall of 1990, operating in the corporation "Gubener hats GmbH" was converted to the shareholder was the Treuhand privatization. Urgently needed to change with the market, a redevelopment concept for the operation. Already in 1990, many jobs were eliminated and the number was 1991 with only 70 employees. In 1993, the businessman, Mr. Ondrich the operation, however, who retired shortly before the bankruptcy of 1996 and a change of ownership was completed. From 1996 to 1998 there was an attempt to avert the threat of bankruptcy. On 25 However, in May 1998 had filed for bankruptcy werden.Noch in the same year, production was resumed, but the attempt to maintain the tradition of the manufacture of hats in Guben unfortunately failed with the "New Gubener hats GmbH 'final 1999th What had brought the hat industry Gubener to world class, one on the world market-oriented innovation policy, run by courageous entrepreneurs as Wilke and Lewin, could not be revived.
 
Messages
17,517
Location
Maryland
To me your Wilke looks like a hat made in West Germany. It doesn't look like a DDR Guben (I actually have a couple) made hat. It is possible some West German hat company was able to get the Wilke name rights or maybe they expired.
 
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Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
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5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
Messages
17,517
Location
Maryland
Again thank you for finding this document. It helped me with some unanswered questions I had. One having to do with Negretti being a type of wool rather than a manufacturer. I have a strong feeling many early hard hats (see Bowlers, Derbies, Melones) were made of wool (or some combination of wool).
 

Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
Again thank you for finding this document. It helped me with some unanswered questions I had. One having to do with Negretti being a type of wool rather than a manufacturer. I have a strong feeling many early hard hats (see Bowlers, Derbies, Melones) were made of wool (or some combination of wool).

nothing to thank Steve, let me know what you find about felt or wool. is interesting to find out, I hope you will find
 

davidraphael

Practically Family
Messages
790
Location
Germany & UK
Here is my latest beauty that I'm very pleased with indeed. It's a Peschel homburg that looks like it has hardly been worn, if at all - it's in excellent condition. There are no sweat stains whatsoever on the liner, no marks of any kind on the exterior of the hat itself. The crown is higher than my other homburg, and the liner is stitched rather than glued, so I'm wondering how old it is.

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Messages
17,517
Location
Maryland
That is a really nice one! Peschel Dinkelsbühl, Germany (orginally from Neutitschein, Austria / Novy Jicin, Czecho Slovakia) made really nice hats. I would say late 1950s to mid 1960s.
 
Messages
17,517
Location
Maryland
nothing to thank Steve, let me know what you find about felt or wool. is interesting to find out, I hope you will find

Here is the old (early 1900s) Melone that is made of Negretti wool. I do not know the maker but they were some where in East Germany (Saxony or Brandenburg).

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/58-negretti/

I believe I also have a wool Fedora style hat from the early 1900s. The look and finish is nothing like what I have encountered before in fur felt hats. After reading the Wilke book it appears there was a unique wool hat making tradition in the Brandenburg / Saxony area. Here is the hat if you want to take a look. I was never able to identify the maker based on the initials (C.W.N).

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/60-c-w-n-hutfabriken/page__view__findpost__p__325
 
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Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
Here is the old (early 1900s) Melone that is made of Negretti wool. I do not know the maker but they were some where in East Germany (Saxony or Brandenburg).

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/58-negretti/

I believe I also have a wool Fedora style hat from the early 1900s. The look and finish is nothing like what I have encountered before in fur felt hats. After reading the Wilke book it appears there was a unique wool hat making tradition in the Brandenburg / Saxony area. Here is the hat if you want to take a look. I was never able to identify the maker based on the initials (C.W.N).

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/60-c-w-n-hutfabriken/page__view__findpost__p__325

Yes you are right, Negretti is a coarser wool. The wool is stiff and strong?
Have you any more of that time could be made ​​of the wool
 
Messages
17,517
Location
Maryland
The Fedora hat is very soft but it doesn't have the feel of fur felt. The Melone is harder to tell the difference. Neither has the characteristics that people on here would associate with a modern day wool hat. I think I have a couple more old wool hats but they are all Melone.
 

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