“Ever heard of a banker who was also an art collector and philanthropist?” That’s Adolph Meyer. We’re standing before the Familiengrabstätte Meyer Sculpture. It marks the final resting place of Adolph Meyer and his family.
Adolph Meyer was born in 1807. He hailed from an important Jewish banking family in Hanover. His grandfather was Meyer Joseph Schwerin. He died in Hanover in 1796.
Adolph expanded his father’s business. He renamed it Bankhaus Adolph Meyer. The bank was built between 1845 and 1848. It was one of the first commercial buildings in the emerging Bahnhofsviertel. His son Sigmund directed it from 1866. Bankhaus Adolph Meyer existed until 1938.
Meyer was not just a banker. In 1828, he established a weaving mill in Linden. Later, he expanded into the first mechanical cotton spinning mill in the Kingdom of Hanover. It was called Mechanische Weberei Linden an der Ihme. Meyer also financed the first Hanoverian factory of Roman cement. He bought brass works and founded a cement factory. Then he founded a machine factory. Later still, he added a twisting factory, a weaving mill, a bleaching plant and a wool spinning mill.
Meyer acquired Hanoverian citizenship in 1848. He was elected captain of the Hanoverian Citizen Guard. In 1854, Meyer had the Fannystraße workers’ colony built. It was named after his wife.
But there’s more to Adolph Meyer than business. He was a patron of the Hanover Art Association. He supported general and Jewish charities. Meyer promoted the construction of the new synagogue. Sadly, it was destroyed in 1938.
Meyer even took the oldest known amateur photograph of Hanover. It shows Versman’s house shortly before demolition. He signed the photo in the negative.
Adolph Meyer died in 1866. He is buried here with his wife Fanny. This Familiengrabstätte Meyer Sculpture stands as a reminder. It commemorates a man of finance, industry, and philanthropy. He left a lasting mark on Hanover.