“A man of decency and character”
The stadtsteinach school is now called "friedrich baur school. The school was officially "christened" yesterday in a two-hour ceremony. As mayor and school association chairman roland wolfrum explained, an individual name creates identity, and in addition, the schools could "take a leaf out of the book".
Friedrich baur was born in stadtsteinach in 1890 and, according to contemporary witnesses, was a regular visitor to the town, reported wolfrum, who described baur as a "man of decency and integrity" described. The suggestion for a name came from wolfgang hoderlein in 2016, wolfrum looked back. He also specifically brought up friedrich baur, not only because he was born in stadtsteinach, but also because he can be a role model for middle school students that you can achieve something great even without high school diplomas and studies.
The naming, according to wolfrum, was approved by the friedrich baur foundation in 2017.
Monument in the place of birth
The naming was "a wise decision", stated district administrator klaus peter sollner, who placed baur in the ranks of other important men such as hans wilsdorf, carl von linde and adalbert raps from the kulmbach district.
Baur is "a monument in his birthplace" otmar fugmann from the friedrich baur foundation, who invited the students to take a look at the works of the baur group and perhaps also to venture a start-up with the company’s support.
School board member michael hack felt transported back to his childhood with the scenes from friedrich baur’s life and work, as he leafed through the mail-order catalog.
People at the center
"People should always be at the center of our thoughts and actions" – with this motto of friedrich baur, schoolchildren of the 5., 6. And 9. After the musical prelude by the brass class, the first class reenacted scenes from baur’s business activities, ranging from mail-order catalogs to online businesses. At a "fashion show all possible products were presented, especially shoes, with which baur had begun his entrepreneurial work.
Friedrich baur, born in 1890 in stadtsteinach and died in 1965 in kulmbach, went to the old gymnasium in bamberg for a year and then acquired experience in the pigeon trade in hong kong. After the first world war, he worked briefly for a shoe factory in burgkunstadt, then in bamberg and at the huhnlein company in burgkunstadt. In 1921, he set up his own business as a shoe wholesaler in bamberg, but failed with this venture.
In 1925, he founded the baur company together with his later wife kathi and her sister, making it germany’s first mail-order shoe company. He was the first to introduce the sales concepts of collective ordering and partial payment to the retail trade.
In the third reich, he suffered repressive measures because of his closeness to the trade unions and as an avowed catholic. Baur was able to restart its mail-order business in 1948, and the first catalog went to press in 1949. Innovation in the early years was the "guaranteed right of return.
The childless baur couple drew up a will to ensure the survival of the company. With the same goal in mind, the friedrich baur foundation was set up in 1953, to which the company shares were to be transferred after the death of the shareholders. The foundation’s aim was to preserve its life’s work "in perpetuity" to receive. The mail order company is now part of the otto group.