Английская Википедия:Berliner Handels-Gesellschaft
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Italic title
The Berliner Handels-Gesellschaft (BHG, Шаблон:Lit) was a significant German joint-stock bank, founded in 1856 in Berlin. It relocated to Frankfurt following World War II.
On Шаблон:Date, BHG merged with Frankfurter Bank to form Шаблон:Lang, generally referred to as BHF Bank until 2007 and since then as ODDO BHF.[1]
Overview
The foundation of the BHG in 1856 was inspired by the experience of the Crédit Mobilier in France (est. 1852) and its German emulator the Bank für Handel und Industrie in Darmstadt, or Шаблон:Lang (est. 1853).[2]Шаблон:Rp Initially organized by Darmstädter Bank veteran Gustav Mevissen,[3]Шаблон:Rp its founding sponsors included S. Bleichröder, Шаблон:Ill, Шаблон:Ill, Mendelssohn & Co., and Шаблон:Ill.[4]Шаблон:Rp It was one of the first five large commercial banks in Germany, following the A. Schaaffhausen'scher Bankverein in Cologne (1848), the Disconto-Gesellschaft in Berlin (1851-1856), the Darmstädter Bank (1853), and the Шаблон:Ill in Meiningen (1856).[5]Шаблон:Rp Like the Disconto-Gesellschaft, and unlike Schaaffhausen and the Darmstädter Bank, the BHG was formed as a limited stock company (Шаблон:Lang-de) rather than a joint-stock company (Aktiengesellschaft) because of the restrictive stance of the Prussian authorities about the latter.Шаблон:R The BHG was involved early on in securities issuances, particularly by German railway companies.Шаблон:R
In 1872, the BHG participated in the creation of the Dresdner Bank, as part of a consortium together with Шаблон:Ill (Leipzig), Шаблон:Ill (Frankfurt), Шаблон:Ill (Frankfurt) and Шаблон:Ill (Hamburg).Шаблон:Citation needed That same year it was involved in the creation of Basler Bankverein in Basel.Шаблон:R
In 1883, Carl Fürstenberg took over the bank's leadership and developed it successfully.[6] Under Fürstenberg's leadership, the bank became increasingly associated with Emil Rathenau and his industrial concern AEG. In 1894, it partnered with other German banks to create the Banca Commerciale Italiana in Milan, and in 1898, the Banque Internationale de Bruxelles.Шаблон:R After World War I, Emil's son Walther Rathenau became the BHG's board chairman.Шаблон:Citation needed
By 1930, the BHG was Germany's sixth-largest joint-stock bank by total deposits with 412 million Reichsmarks, behind Deutsche Bank & Disconto-Gesellschaft (4.8 billion), Danat-Bank (2.4 billion), Dresdner Bank (2.3 billion), Commerz- und Privatbank (1.5 billion), and Reichs-Kredit-Gesellschaft (619 million).[7]Шаблон:Rp The BHG weathered the European banking crisis of 1931 comparatively unscathed, and was alone among the larger private-sector banks not to receive any capital injection from the government.[8]Шаблон:Rp It was severely affected, however, by the takeover of the Nazi Party and by the death of Carl Fürstenberg on Шаблон:Date.
After World War II, the bank's Berlin seat found itself in the Soviet occupation zone, but the bank was able to maintain legal continuity through a Thuringian office it had created in 1943, which was relocated to Erlangen in 1945 and eventually to Frankfurt in 1948, then allowed by special legislation in 1954 o assume the full BHG legacy.[9] It was hosted by the Frankfurter Bank for two years until moving to its own location in 1950.Шаблон:Citation needed
Berlin head office complex
The BHG's head office in Berlin was mostly built in 1897–1900 on a design by architect Alfred Messel, with two main façades respectively on Französische Strasse (south) and Behrensstrasse (north). In 1909–1911, this was complemented by a westward extension on Charlottenstrasse, designed by Messel's former associate Шаблон:Ill.[10] After 1945, the BHG building became part of the head office complex of the Staatsbank der DDR, together with its neighbor on the eastern side, the former head office of Dresdner Bank. Following German reunification, the former BHG building was repurposed to become the Berlin office of KfW, on a design by Frankfurt-based ABB Architects. The renovated complex was inaugurated in June 2001 in the presence of German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.[11]
See also
References
