Research: The Horten-Alsberg Sales Contract (Duisburg 1936)
The foundation of an empire on the ruins of an existence.
In the history of "Aryanization," the takeover of the Gebrüder Alsberg department store in Duisburg by the then only 26-year-old Helmut Horten is considered the decisive moment that enabled his rise to become the "department store king." For our mockumentary project, this contract is the "smoking gun" of historical evidence.
Facts on the Contract
1. Date and Location
- Contract Date: April 23, 1936
- Effective Date (Change of Ownership): May 1, 1936
- Location: Duisburg
2. The Contracting Parties
- Buyer: The newly founded Helmut Horten KG. Helmut Horten was the sole personally liable partner. The purchase was largely financed by loans from the Commerz- und Privatbank.
- Sellers: The Jewish owners of the Gebrüder Alsberg OHG (Duisburg branch), namely Hermann Strauß as well as Ernst and Curt Lauter. (Amalie Lauter, another partner, was unable to flee and was later murdered in the Holocaust).
3. Purchase Price and Scope
According to later restitution files, the total purchase price was 672,963.65 Reichsmark (RM).
- The bulk of the sum (nearly 672,000 RM) was for the warehouse inventory.
- Critics and historians point out that the price was established under the pressure of the systematic displacement of Jewish entrepreneurs. Horten paid, but he paid in a market where the sellers had no choice.
Historical Context: "Aryanization" or "Fair Business"?
The Hoeres Report (2022)
A comprehensive scientific report by historian Prof. Dr. Peter Hoeres (University of Würzburg), commissioned by the Horten Foundation, concluded in 2022 that while Horten was "not a Nazi ideologue," he was undoubtedly an "opportunistic profiteer" of the system of injustice.
Official Documents & Sources (PDF Downloads)
For the historical substantiation of our project, we rely on the official publications of the Helmut Horten Foundation:
- 📄 Full Report (PDF) – "On the wealth and business development of Helmut Horten" (Prof. Dr. Peter Hoeres & Dr. Maximilian Kutzner).
- 📄 Summary of the Report (PDF) – The main theses at a glance.
- 🌐 Official Website of the Helmut Horten Foundation – Historical processing of the legacy.
The Fate of the Original Contract
While many original documents from the 1930s were lost during the war or during denazification, the core data of the Duisburg purchase (price: 672,963.65 RM) is historically authenticated through the detailed reconstruction in the Hoeres Report and through post-war restitution files.
Source: Gutachten über den Vermögens- und Geschäftsaufbau von Helmut Horten (2022), Helmut Horten Foundation.