Jobst Brüne and his spouse Elizabeth Füllegrab, mentioned in Bontkirchen around 1660/1670 are the furthest ancestors found to-date. (vidéo)
Johann Christoph Brüne, born in Messinghausen, village next to Bontkirchen, son of Johannes Christophorus and of Elisabetha, née Schmid.
Great-grandson of Jobst Brüne, he leaves the area to settle in Johnsbach near Glashütte i. Sachsen around 1815-1820.
His son Ernst Anton is the owner of a grocery and spices store in Glashütte i. Sachsen. He was also the treasurer of the "Spar- und Vorschußvereine G.m.b.H." (founded in 1860 in Glashütte) until 1899. He lived (and had his store) in the building of Markt 4 Strasse.
Conrad Brüne
Fritz, Ernst Anton, Helmut, Herbert and Conrad Brüne
Conrad Benno Brüne was born 19 Oct 1853 in Glashütte i. Sachsen, and died 22 Jul 1931 in Langebrück i. Sachsen.
Conrad married Eugenia Selma Lydia née Haude on 22 Mar 1890 in Dresden.
Eugenia was born on 14 Oct 1863 in Christburg and died in May 1945 in Langebrück i. Sachsen.
Conrad wanted to become brewer. Since his father did not have the money to pay for his studies, his older brother Emil advanced the funds.
Conrad leaves Glashütte in 1886 to join as Master-brewer a small brewery in Radeberg, founded in 1866, first known as "Brauerei zum Felsenkelle", before being renamed in 1885 "Radeberger ExportbierBrauerei".
After Conrad arrived, the brewery started to produce a Pilsner type of beer which was then called "Böhmisch".
Success was immediate and contributed to a rapid growth. The brewery changes one more time its name to "Radeberger Pilsner" and was exporting worldwide, in particular to the USA.
Conrad was promoted director of the brewery in February 1897, elected member of the board before September 1898 and again member of the board after the merge with the Deutsche Bierbrauerei AG in 1903. And this until he retired in 1923.
From then on he was elected to the supervisory board, until his death in 1931.
In 1911, Conrad was raised by the King to "Königlichen Kommerzienrat".
He also developed the "Dreihorden-Malzdarre" which he patented.
In 1911, the "Darre System Patent Brüne" as officially named, was installed in the tower of the brewery.
The success was such that the King Friedrich August Von Sachsen asked to visit it.
On 21 Aug 1907, a large tent was erected behind the factory. Erna, daughter of Conrad, read a poem to His Majesty and Conrad lead the King during his tour of the factory.
Newspapers clips published during the Royal visit of 21 Aug1907
(Source : Radeberger Exportbier Brauerei - Archives)
...Am Eingange der reichdekorierten Brauerei, die nach der Dresdener Straße zu von einem aus großen Lager-und Transportfässern errichteten Triumpfbogen flankiert wurde, begrüß ten Sr. Majestät die Mitglieder des Vorstandes und des Aufsichtsrates der Brauerei und zwar von ersterem die Herren Direktoren Brüne und Matthias von letzterem die Herren Kommerzienrat Georg Arnold Consul und Kommerzienrat Reichel und Regierungsrat a.D. Ehszescineki.
Nachdem Sr. Majestät in ein für Hofe der Brauerei errichtetes geschmack volles Zelt geleitet worden war, sprach das liebreizende Töchterchen des Herrn Direktors Brüne, Fräulein Erna Brüne einen poetischen "Willkommensgruß", von Herrn Professor Oertel verfaßt, welcher folgenden Wortlaut hatte:
Willkommen Herr in uns'er Heimatsflur!
Du kennst sie ja, Du hast sie oft durchzogen,
Du weißt, sie zeigt bescheid'ne Reize nur; nicht Merresflut, nur Korn und Wipfel wogen; nicht stolz umrahmt Dich Hochtgebirgsnatur, nur Hügel wölben sich in sanftem Bogen.
Heut'eile nicht, heut hemm Deine Schritte und rast'ein Weilchen froh in unsrer Mitte
Willkommen Herr, in uns rer Heimatstadt! Am Heiderande schien sie weltverloren, kein Dom, kein Prunkbau fand hier seine Statt. Arm lag sie vor der reichen Hauptstadt Toren. Doch blieb sie's nicht. Denn der Gewerbefleiß hat, Sie sich zu seinem Lieblingssitz erkoren, Wo Arbeit und Erfolg sich glücklich einen; Ein Bild von Deinem Sachsenland im Kleinen.
Willkommen, Herr, der Werkgenossenschaft! Hier, wo sich hundert fleiss`ge Hände regen, wo tausendhändig die Maschine schaffl, der gelben Gerstenfelder Aehrensegen, veredelt durch des Hopfens würz'ge Kraft, in flüssig Gold geschäftig umzuprägen. Dem Du geruhtest - uns zu hohen Ehren An Deinem Tisch ein Plätzchen zu gewähren. Auch unser Herz gewannst Du, wie es Dir, Allüberall, wo Du nur warst, gelungen, "Wir lieben Dich" so ist es eben hier, aus treuer Männer Munde Dir erklungen, "Wir lieben Dich" so sei's gesagt von mir, mit diesem Strauss auch für die Schar der Jungen: So mögen denn die Jungen wie die Alten, Dich und Dein Haus für immer lieb behalten.
Nachdem der König der Sprecherin einige liebenswürdige Worte der Anerkennung gesagt und einen Strauß prachtvoller Rosen aus ihrer Hand entgegengenommen hatte, hielt Herr Kommerzienrat Arnhold eine Ansprache.
...Am Eingang desselben begrüßte und empfing den Monarchen die Geschäftsleitung, der technische Direktor Herr Brüne, der kaufmännische Leiter Herr Matthias und der Vorsitzende des Aufsichtsrats, Herr Kommerzienrat Arnhold aus Dresden. Der letztere richtete an den Hohen Gast einige Begrüßungsworte und teilte mit, daß die Geschäftsleitung eine Stiftung von 10.000,-- M zum Wohle ihres Personals errichtet habe.
Am Pavillon überreichte das Töchterchen des Herrn Direktor Brüne Sr. Majestät einen Blumenstrauß unter Aussagen eines sinnigen Poems... Die Direktion der Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei bildet z.Zt. Herr Direktor C. Brüne und Herr Direktor E. Matthias und steht ersterer schon seit über 23 Jahren an leitender Stelle des Unternehmens...
Conrad Brüne retired on 1 Nov 1923 in Langebrück where he had purchased a nice property.
He lived until a stupid but fatal accident took him away - missing train steps - on 22 July 1931.
A building of the Radeberger Pilsner named after Conrad Brüne
In 2006, the company employed in Radeberg approximately 250 people.
In that year, Radeberger Pilsner inaugurated a new "social" building for his employees, named "Conrad Brüne Haus", in honour of one of its former leaders who marked significantly the History Radeberger Pilsner.
Conrad Brüne, Master-brewer, then director "Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei" from 1886 to 1923, is considered as the determining artisans of the worldwide reputation gained by the brand.
Fritz Heinrich Brüne
Born 18 Oct 1893 in Radeberg i. Sachsen, died on 31 Jan 1974 in Königtsein i. Taunus, Fritz was married on 2 Dec 1919 in Radeberg i. Sachsen to Carmen Johanna Martha née Stulz, born 29 Jan 1901 in Radeberg i. Sachsen, died on 6 Jul 1983 in Heidelberg
Conrad Brüne (1853 - 1931), Kommerzienrat and Director of the Radeberger Exportbier Brauerei purchased (*) in 1925 for his sons Hellmuth (1890 - 1975) and Fritz (my grand-father, 1893 – 1974) the glass factory Gebr. Eibenstein Glashüttenwerke Gmbh in Bischofswerda which kept its name but changed its telegraphic address to "Brüneglass Bischofswerda" et the logo to G.E.B.
(*) Herbert Friedrich, friend of Hellmuth Brüne, was also a large stockholder when the Eibenstein factory was purchased. This family was socks manufacturer in Chemnitz.
The manufacturing program focused on the glass of lamps and electric street lamps.
Here some other photos of this factory - at the time and until the 1980s probably. In June 2006, everything was nothing but ruins and desolation. See here also an article (in German) devoted to this company.
In 1942, the younger brother of Fritz and Hellmuth became director of the factory, which then numbered nearly 151 workers, a figure that was in constant decline until the shutdown on April 30, 1945.
Among their suppliers was the "Gebr. Cüppers" chemical factory in Dresden, created by the Fritz brothers and Wilhelm Cüppers in the late 1890s. Fritz's son, Fritz Jr., became a friend of Fritz Brüne, and had to leave Radeberg at the end of the war (39-45), occupied with his wife Thea the apartment available in the house of Fritz Brüne in Königstein i.Taunus for his retirement.
As for the company, later taken over by the descendants of Fritz Cüppers (Hellmuth, Steffen and Nicolaus) under the name Cüppers Chemie GmbH specializing in enamel, finally went bankrupt in the 2000s. In 2011, the location hosts a company specializing in recycling.
Herbert Brüne and his right-hand man Bruno Bachmann are working since June 25, 1945 with the help of 10 employees the resumption of the activities of the factory. On October 30, 1945, the Soviet military administration (SMAD) seized the capital of the company. Production resumes in January 1946 with more than 150 workers. On June 30, 1946 it was expropriated and placed under the tutelage of the Land of Sachsen ..
Fritz left the area for Bavaria to protect the Russians' family, leaving his brother Hellmuth (or Herbert?) To run their businesses.
Hellmuth (or Herbert) managed to maintain the management until 1948 when, by decision of the local authorities, Bruno Bachmann became the Director of "VEB Gebr Eibenstein Bischofswerda"
Fritz, 56, and Hellmuth, 59, restarted from scratch and built a new glass factory "Brüne Glas" in Porz near Cologne (on rented land) soon joined by their younger brother and engineer Herbert, 47.
From left to right: Fritz Brüne, Klaus Brüne son of Fritz (behind an unidentified lady) and Hellmuth Brüne. The two men on the right have not been identified.
Fritz and his brothers will later co-manage the factory to the next generation, retiring from business in the late sixties to settle in Köngistein i. Taunus where he died, in 1974.
The end of the lease as well as economic and competitive reasons forced its closure in 1971. In good years, more than 400 employees worked there. Since then, the plant has been razed and a complex of apartment buildings has been built.
On the left, front page of a Bruene-Glas catalog
Sources and thanks
- The descendants of Ernst Anton Brüne, family archive, "Ahnenpass"
- Marco Schröder (Dresden) - AAA-grand-nephew of Johanna Christiane Schröder, second wife of Ernst Anton Brüne. Marco is the author of the excellent 101-page "Die Geschichte unserer Familie", published in January 2008
- Archives of the company "Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei" thanks to the kindness of L. Hiller, Verkaufsdirektor.
- "Biblioteksjournal" by Christian Weisse - Bibliothek Zittau (Dipl Ing D. Mauerhoff)
- Dr. F. J. Lahme for his research on the descendants of Jobst Brüne (Bontkirchen).
