Friedrich & Auguste Ahrens

Friedrich and Auguste Ahrens lived extraordinary lives in Germany spanning the end of Imperial Germany, the short-lived Weimar Republic, and finally the rise of Hitler, who persecuted them under his anti-Jewish racial laws.

Philanthropists and manufacturers, they presided over one of the most modern German factories of their time (see below).  It was seized by the Nazis in 1938, sending Friedrich and Auguste into hiding, where they remained until their deaths in 1940 and 1945 respectively.

Here we honor most especially their generosity, joy, and compassion toward family and fellow man.  The surviving guestbook from their country home–the Mill at Borkow–showcases most vividly their private lives.

More information about them as people will be forthcoming, drawing on existing research about their lives as well as  family stories and letters.

The remarkably detailed etching below shows the layout of the Ahrens’ veneer factory around 1930.  It was one of the most modern factories in Germany at the time, with housing for workers, a complex rail system, stately gardens as well as a seaport access for receiving and exporting goods.