Who would have thought a nail factory could have such a story? Here at the Drahtstifte-Fabrik J.D. Feldtmann Plaque, we uncover a piece of Hamburg’s industrial past. This plaque commemorates the factory and its impact on the local community. The Drahtstifte-Fabrik J.D. Feldtmann, meaning “wire pin factory,” specialized in making nails. It operated in Ottensen, a district of Hamburg, for over a century.
Johann Dietrich Feldtmann, a sea captain, purchased the factory in 1883. He even sold his ship to finance the purchase. The factory, originally founded in 1874 by Wilhelm Vehstedt, became a family business. Feldtmann’s son, Walter, a trained mechanical engineer, joined the business after World War I. Walter’s sons, Gerd and Horst, continued the family tradition, becoming co-owners with their mother in 1977.
The Drahtstifte-Fabrik J.D. Feldtmann wasn’t a massive corporation. It was a mid-sized supplier. At its peak in the 1920s and 1930s, the factory employed around 15 people. This included women in the packaging department, locksmiths, wire drawers, machine operators, cleaners, and the Feldtmann family themselves. During economic downturns, the workforce would be reduced. Interestingly, the factory buildings also housed apartments, some of which were rented to the factory workers.
The factory building itself has seen changes over the years. It was expanded in 1923 and again in 1952. The constant hum of the machines, especially in the summer with open doors and windows, became a familiar sound to the residents of Zeissstrasse. One resident, Frau Straatmann, lived with the factory noise for 65 years. She admitted that the peace and quiet on weekends was a welcome change.
By the mid-1970s, the demand for wire nails declined. The Drahtstifte-Fabrik J.D. Feldtmann struggled to stay afloat. Despite attempts to revive production, the factory closed its doors in December 1985 after 111 years of operation. The Stadtteilarchiv Ottensen now occupies the former factory. The buildings, including the transmission-operated locksmith’s shop and the wire-drawing machines, stand as a preserved industrial monument. This plaque serves as a reminder of the factory’s history, its workers, and the changing times that led to its closure. The Drahtstifte-Fabrik J.D. Feldtmann may be gone, but its story remains etched in the heart of Ottensen.