Richard Wildhagen

Richard Wildhagen (born 10 January 1890 in Kitzingen, died 20 August 1981, married to Hertha Wilhelmine Hedwig, Baroness Ebner von Eschenbach), son of the sweet manufacturer Hermann Wildhagen, attended the Royal Secondary School in Kitzingen and, after successfully completing his schooling, began his professional career at the ‘Drogenhandlung Duvernoy Nachf.’ in Stuttgart and at the Swiss ‘Bonbonfabrik J. Klaus’ in Le Locle, where he was able to acquire the specialist knowledge required for his future profession.

After studying at the commercial college in Berlin, he was able to gain business experience while travelling. Richard Wildhagen took part in the First World War as a reserve cavalry officer. After the end of the war, he joined his parents' sweet factory and Pfirschinger Mineralwerke. Two years later, he became a partner in both companies and subsequently actively promoted the modernisation of the production facilities and the construction of important new buildings.

In 1932, his uncle, Privy Councillor and company founder August Wildhagen, died. Furthermore, his father Hermann left the company, meaning that from 1934 onwards Richard ran the business “A. Wildhagen & Co. Bonbonfabrik Kitzingen” on his own. He was faced with a multitude of new challenges, which he nevertheless managed to overcome. The company suffered severe setbacks during the war and post-war years. The Pfirschinger Mineralwerke were completely destroyed during the bombing raid on Kitzingen on 23 February 1945. The sweet factory and the family home were occupied by the Americans. Only after protracted negotiations did Wildhagen succeed in regaining control of key parts of his business, enabling production at the sweet factory to resume on 1 July 1949. A branch of the Pfirschinger Mineralwerke was also able to recommence production in 1950.

In 1960, Horst Bentz, owner of Melitta-Werke in Minden, acquired several confectionery companies, including “A. Wildhagen & Co. Bonbonfabrik Kitzingen”. At that time, senior partner Richard Wildhagen was assisted by his son Hasso, who had joined the family business as early as 1939, in the role of junior partner. All the companies continued to operate as production facilities, but manufactured exclusively for the newly founded firm “Feurich-Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH” in Munich, later in Stuttgart/Obertürkheim. As the expected success failed to materialise, Bentz sold the Wildhagen sweet factory to August Storck in 1963.
By the end of 1969, Wildhagen was forced to cease production entirely.

Due to his social attitude, Richard Wildhagen was not only highly valued by the workforce, but was also involved in public life. From 1923, he worked in various professional organisations in the confectionery industry. In 1949, he was elected Chairman of the Association of the German Confectionery Industry. He held this honorary post with great vigour until 1959. Despite his advanced age, he then took on the post of deputy chairman of this association. He was also a board member of the Central Technical College of the German Confectionery Industry and helped to establish the state-recognised training course for confectionery technology from 1951. He was also involved in the founding of the European Association of the Confectionery Industry in the EC. Wildhagen was also the employers' representative at the Lower Franconia state insurance organisation.

The highlight of his career in local politics was his tenure as honorary mayor of Kitzingen from 5 July 1948 to 30 March 1952. Wildhagen, a founding member of the Kitzingen CSU, was elected to the town council with the highest number of votes; the council then unanimously appointed him mayor. His term of office began shortly before the currency reform, at the height of the population’s existential hardship. The open-minded and ever-helpful entrepreneur with political ambitions played a significant part in the reconstruction of the town, which had been severely damaged by the war, and he did so without receiving any remuneration.
The extraordinary achievements that Wildhagen had accomplished for many years alongside his professional career, with great idealism and for the common good, received due recognition from the state on 27 July 1955. District President Dr Hölzl presented him with the Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

One year later, however, Richard Wildhagen withdrew from politics altogether, which was widely regretted. At a ceremony in Munich in September 1963, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the highest decoration a state can award, from the Deputy Bavarian Minister President Dr Rudolf Eberhard.

Richard Wildhagen died on 20 August 1981 at the ripe old age of 90.

Sources:

• File of the city magistrate of Kitzingen: I/A/8/02: Decorations and decorations of honour, 1871 - 1904.

• File of the city magistrate of Kitzingen: I/A/8/22: Honours, 1905 - 1914.

• Civil rights files: No. 210: Wildhagen, Hermann Julius, 1893. No. 227: Wildhagen, August, factory owner, 1900. No. 308: Wildhagen, Richard, merchant, 1914.

• Council minutes since 1945

• Falkenstein, Stephanie: The Wildhagenvilla. A contribution to the residential and living culture of the Gründerzeit in Kitzingen. Publication series of the Städtisches Museum Kitzingen Volume 11, Kitzingen 2016.