THE KOLKER TOMB

Photo: Tomasz Gąsior, courtesy of the Wrocław City Museum.

The tomb of Hugo Kolker (1845–1915), which was built in the form of a neo-Romanesque temple, is made of sandstone with inscription panels and columns made of red granite. The impressive structure has an unusual T-shaped floor plan, with its main body located on the west side and consisting of five arcades. At the centre of the façade, the main arcade is crowned with a portico, while both the western portico and the twin eastern portico are crowned with a triangular tympanum, decorated with a floral ornament around the inscription: ‘Familie Heimann Kolker’. A Star of David is located in the centre of both pediments, and the granite columns are supported by an openwork stone balustrade decorated with plant motifs. The roof is gabled, with a coffered ceiling decorated with golden stars.

The tomb is the burial place of three generations of the Kolker family: Heimann Kolker (1818–1880), his wife Liebchen Kolker, née Elsner (?-?), Hugo Kolker (1845–1915), his wife Natalie Kolker, née Glaser (1852–1921) and Bruno Kolker (1848‒1909) and his son Hubert Kolker (1885–1918).

The oldest member of the family, the merchant Heimann Kolker, was born on 13 February 1818 in Psie Pole near Wrocław. On 27 November 1842, he married Liebchen Elsner (1815–1894), the daughter of a merchant from Wrocław. Their sons Hugo and Bruno followed in their father’s footsteps and entered the trade business, initially specialising in colonial goods. In 1873, Hugo and his business partner founded ‘J. Manasse & Kolker’, which traded in chemical goods and fats, with Bruno as a signatory. After the company was dissolved, the brothers decided to start their own business. The trading company ‘Gebrüder Kolker’ was founded on 1 July 1877, specialising in the production and sale of oils, fats and chemical materials, and it gradually expanded its area of activity importing mineral oils from the USA and the Russian Empire, from 1885 also operating a crude oil refinery, and from 1887 a factory producing machine lubricants. The company’s dynamic growth, coupled with the favourable economic situation, enabled them to open a branch in Hamburg in 1885.

The Kolkers also started trading in cellulose products, and became co-shareholders in Continentale Viscose Compagnie GmbH, with a branch in Paris. The company was founded on 3 May 1897 and entered in the commercial register in Breslau/Wrocław on 21 June 1897. With a licence from the London Viscose Syndicate Limited, which allowed them to technically and commercially use the patent rights to viscose, they began producing chemical fibres based on cellulose, which in turn led to the production of artificial silk. These achievements were honoured with the first prize at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, where the first rayon dress was presented.

The Kolkers developed their business from scratch, starting as local warehouse owners and ending up working with international consortia. Their dynamic development in the last two decades of the 19th century placed them among the economic and business elite of the city. As open-minded entrepreneurs equipped with knowledge and an excellent understanding of capital markets, they became a living embodiment of success. In 1904, Hugo Kolker became Consul of the Kingdom of Portugal, holding this office until his death in 1915.

Inspired by his daughter Elsa (1878–1932), he began to build a collection of contemporary art after the age of 60, while Kolker’s son-in-law, the well-known art historian Curt Glaser (1879–1943), also played a significant role in shaping the collection. The world-class collection, which includes more than 40 works, was created in just a few years, between 1908 and 1914. The heart of the collection were works by masters such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, Lovis Corinth, Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt and Georg Kolbe, which were mainly purchased in Berlin and Paris. In 1911, Hugo Kolker loaned 34 works from his collection, which were presented at an exhibition of works by modern masters at the Silesian Museum of Fine Arts. His tomb is undoubtedly a legacy of the owner’s artistic interests.

Dimensions (cm): 750 x 1000 x 340

Author: Dr. Renata Wilkoszewska-Krakowska