Schocken Department Stores
Encyclopedia
Schocken Department Stores (Kaufhaus Schocken) was a chain of department store
s in Germany
before the Second World War.
The company was found by Simon Schocken (1874–1929) and Salman Schocken
(1877–1959). After Simon had married into the owner family of Warenhaus Ury Gebrüder in Leipzig
, the two brothers enlarged the business to a chain by establishing a second department store in Zwickau
. In 1930 the company (named I. Schocken Sons since 1907) had become the fourth larges department store company in Germany with 20 stores. After the death of Simon Schoken in a car crash in 1929 his brother was sole owner.
The most famous stores are the ones in Nuremberg
(Aufseßplatz) (built 1925/26), Stuttgart (Schocken Department Store Stuttgart
)(1926–28) and Chemnitz
(1927–30) built by architect Erich Mendelsohn
. All three can be seen as milestones in modern architecture.
After the rise of Nazism
Salman Schocken was politically forced to sell his department stores to the Merkur AG (so-called "Aryanisation"). After the war Schocken sold his regained share of the company (51%) to Helmut Horten
GmbH, which later became part of Kaufhof and is currently owned by Metro
.
Salman Schocken founded his own publishing house (later Schocken Books
) in 1931, which later moved to Palestine
and the United States
. The Schocken family lives in Israel
and the U.S.. Schocken Books is now affiliated with Random House Publishing. The family still owns 75% of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz
owned by Salman Schocken.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before the Second World War.
Salman Schocken
Salman Schocken was a German Jewish publisher and businessman.Salman Schocken was the son of Jewish shopkeeper in Posen....
(1877–1959). After Simon had married into the owner family of Warenhaus Ury Gebrüder in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, the two brothers enlarged the business to a chain by establishing a second department store in Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
. In 1930 the company (named I. Schocken Sons since 1907) had become the fourth larges department store company in Germany with 20 stores. After the death of Simon Schoken in a car crash in 1929 his brother was sole owner.
The most famous stores are the ones in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
(Aufseßplatz) (built 1925/26), Stuttgart (Schocken Department Store Stuttgart
Schocken Department Store Stuttgart
The Schocken Department Store was a department store in the south German town of Stuttgart....
)(1926–28) and Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
(1927–30) built by architect Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn was a Jewish German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic functionalism in his projects for department stores and cinemas.-Early life:...
. All three can be seen as milestones in modern architecture.
After the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
Salman Schocken was politically forced to sell his department stores to the Merkur AG (so-called "Aryanisation"). After the war Schocken sold his regained share of the company (51%) to Helmut Horten
Helmut Horten
Helmut Horten was a German entrepreneur who built up and owned the fourth-largest chain of department stores in Germany - the Horten AG....
GmbH, which later became part of Kaufhof and is currently owned by Metro
Metro AG
Metro AG is a diversified retail and wholesale/cash and carry group based in Düsseldorf, Germany. It has the largest market share in its home market, and is one of the most globalised retail and wholesale corporations. It is the fourth-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues . In English...
.
Salman Schocken founded his own publishing house (later Schocken Books
Schocken Books
Schocken Books is a publishing company that was established in Berlin with a publishing office in Prague in 1931 by the Schocken Department Store owner Salman Schocken. It published the writings of Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Franz Kafka and S. Y...
) in 1931, which later moved to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Schocken family lives in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the U.S.. Schocken Books is now affiliated with Random House Publishing. The family still owns 75% of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
owned by Salman Schocken.