Späth nursery
Encyclopedia
The Späth family created one of the world's most notable plant nurseries
of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The nursery had been founded in 1720 by Christoph Späth but removed to the erstwhile district of Baumschulenweg (now part of the Treptow-Köpenick
district) in south-east Berlin
in 1863 when Franz Ludwig Späth
(1839 - 1913) succeeded his father Ludwig as manager when aged only 25. By the end of the 19th century, the nursery was the largest in the world, occupying 120 hectare
s. In 1874 Franz built a mansion on the site, now part of Humboldt University and, five years later, established an arboretum
.
After his death in Britz
in 1913, Franz Späth was succeeded by his son, Hellmut
, who revived the nursery's flagging fortunes during the Depression
by joining the Nazi Party and securing lucrative landscaping contracts for the new autobahns and other public works. However, his outspoken criticism of the Nazi regime saw him incarcerated in Sachsenhausen concentration camp
where he was executed in 1945. The nursery had closed the year before, and in 1947 the arboretum passed into public ownership becoming known as the Späthsches Arboretum.
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The nursery had been founded in 1720 by Christoph Späth but removed to the erstwhile district of Baumschulenweg (now part of the Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick is the ninth borough of Berlin, Germany, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Treptow and Köpenick.-Overview:...
district) in south-east Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1863 when Franz Ludwig Späth
Franz Ludwig Späth
Franz Ludwig Späth , was a German botanist and fifth manager of the Späth nursery from 1863, when his father Ludwig retired, until his death, when the nursery passed to his own son Hellmut Ludwig Späth . With his father, Franz was a co-founder of the German Pomologists Association in 1860, and was...
(1839 - 1913) succeeded his father Ludwig as manager when aged only 25. By the end of the 19th century, the nursery was the largest in the world, occupying 120 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s. In 1874 Franz built a mansion on the site, now part of Humboldt University and, five years later, established an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
.
After his death in Britz
Britz
Britz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Neukölln.-History:The village of Britzig was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act...
in 1913, Franz Späth was succeeded by his son, Hellmut
Hellmut Ludwig Späth
Hellmut Ludwig Späth , the son of Franz and Wilhelmine Späth, became the sixth and last manager of the Späth nursery on the death of his father in 1913. After studies at Cambridge, Hellmut returned to Berlin in 1910 and received his doctorate in 1912 from the Berlin Agricultural College...
, who revived the nursery's flagging fortunes during the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by joining the Nazi Party and securing lucrative landscaping contracts for the new autobahns and other public works. However, his outspoken criticism of the Nazi regime saw him incarcerated in Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
where he was executed in 1945. The nursery had closed the year before, and in 1947 the arboretum passed into public ownership becoming known as the Späthsches Arboretum.
Owners / proprietors of the Späth nursery, 1720 - 1944
- Christoph Späth (1696-1746)
- Carl Späth (1721-1782)
- Frederick Späth (1768-1831)
- Ludwig Späth (1793-1883)
- Franz SpäthFranz Ludwig SpäthFranz Ludwig Späth , was a German botanist and fifth manager of the Späth nursery from 1863, when his father Ludwig retired, until his death, when the nursery passed to his own son Hellmut Ludwig Späth . With his father, Franz was a co-founder of the German Pomologists Association in 1860, and was...
(1839-1913) - Hellmut SpäthHellmut Ludwig SpäthHellmut Ludwig Späth , the son of Franz and Wilhelmine Späth, became the sixth and last manager of the Späth nursery on the death of his father in 1913. After studies at Cambridge, Hellmut returned to Berlin in 1910 and received his doctorate in 1912 from the Berlin Agricultural College...
(1885-1945)
External links
- The arboretum and nursery Späth in Baumschulenweg http://209.85.135.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/umwelt/stadtgruen/gruenanlagen/de/sondergruenanlagen/botanische_anlagen/spaeth.shtml&prev=/search%3Fq%3DHellmut%2BSpaeth%2Bsachsenhausen%2B%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG
- The Späthsches Arboretum http://berlin-hidden-places.com/sachindex_en/gaerten_parks/trep_arbor_en.htm