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David Herz (Hermann) Kobritz * 1865

Herbert-Weichmann-Straße 51 (Hamburg-Nord, Uhlenhorst)

1942 Theresienstadt
ermordet Dezember 1944

David Herz Hermann Kobritz, born 12 Aug.1865, deported to Theresienstadt on 17/19 July 1942, died there 8 Dec. 1944

Herbert-Weichmann-Strasse 51 (formerly Adolphstrasse 51)

David Herz Hermann Kobritz was born in Brody. Nothing is known about his parents, his childhood and youth.
In May, 1890, he married Rosalia, called Rosa, née Kleinmann, born on May 23rd, 19874 in Odessa) in Brody. Their first child, the daughter Eleonore/Leonora, was born in Vienna in December, 1890 or January, 1891. Their daughter Juliette was born on July 18th, 1894, their son Maximilian on July 12th, 1894, both in Moscow, followed by Katharina, called Katja, born in December, 1897 in Odessa. The Kobritz’ last two children were again born in Moscow, Richard on September 27th, 1899, and Heinrich on November 1st, 1903.
The Jewish Kobritz family moved to Hamburg approx. 1906. From then on, the father’ first name is only given as Hermann in all records. Hermann Kobritz, a merchant, ran an im- and export business that initially had its headquarters at Raboisen 5, from approx. 1914 at Mönckebergstrasse 9 and in the years 1931/32 at Spitalerstrasse 16. According to their listing in the address book, the Hermann Kobritz Company had branches in Moscow and Charbin, China. The company, entered into the company register in 1908, was deleted from the register on March 4th, 1933 "by official order.” For the years 1933 to 1935, the family home address is given as the company address in the address books.

Hermann Kobritz purchased house in Adolphstrasse 51 in 1913; the family, who had previously lived in an apartment at Schäferkampsallee 28, moved to a single-family home with a garden. The ground floor included a hall, a living-room, a study and the terrace. On the two upper floors, there were several spacious rooms; the kitchen and further utility rooms were located in the basement. The agency’s description of the house up for sale noted: "This property deserves special attention on account of its pleasant and quiet situation at the heart of the best section of the Uhlenhorst with convenient connections to the city by steamer and streetcar.”
In 1926 Hermann Kobritz was best man at the wedding of his daughter Katja, who at the time still lived with her parents at their house in Adolphstrasse.
From about 1930, the family also had an apartment on the Baltic Coast in the community of Ratekau, Timmendorfer Strand, Strandallee 41a (now Timmen¬dor¬fer Platz 5). The Hamburg house in Adolphstrasse 51 was converted to an apartment house in 1932, to accommodate several tenants. From 1936 at the latest, Hermann und Rosa Kobritz no longer lived in Hamburg, having moved to their apartment in Tim¬mendorfer Strand, a spacious, well furnished and equipped 4-room dwelling.
In February, 1942, the house in Adolphstrasse 51, which had belonged to Hermann Kobritz up to then, was sold by court order. In the early 1950s, the children of Hermann and Rosa Kobritz as their heirs agreed on a settlement payment with the new owners of the property at the compensation office of the Hamburg High Court.

Hermann and Rosa Kobritz were deported from their home in Timmendorfer Strand on July 17th, 1942. Via a gathering place in Lübeck, they were taken to Hamburg together with about 40 other Jews, mainly from Kiel and Lübeck, and assigned to the transport that left for Theresienstadt on July 19th, 1942, where they arrived on July 20th.

The Kobritz’ furniture and household equipment were auctioned in 1942 by the district court of Schwartau, the proceeds remitted to the Oberfinanzkasse in Kiel and from there to the Reich treasury.

Hermann Kobritz died on December 8th, 1944 in Theresienstadt. Rosa Kobritz survived and returned from Theresienstadt to Hamburg on August 2nd, 1945. She first stayed with her daughter and son-in-law for a few months, before moving to another apartment. Rosa Kobritz died on January 14th, 1947 in Hamburg.

All six children of Hermann and Rosa Kobritz survived the Nazi regime. Her daughter Katja, married to a non-Jewish husband, remained in Hamburg. Katja, her husband and their two sons were subject to countless harassments and restrictions. In the 1950s, the other five Kobritz children were living in France, Holland, Australia, Venezuela and the USA. It is not known when they had emigrated there.

Translated by Peter Hubschmid

Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: October 2016
© Ingrid Budig

Quellen: 5; 8; StaHH 213-13, Landgericht Wiedergutmachung, Z 3818; StaHH 231-7, Amtsgericht Hamburg - Handels- und Genossenschaftsregister, A1 Band 41; StaHH 332-5, Personenstandsunterlagen, 6646 + 293/1926; StaHH 351-11, AfW, Abl. 2008/1, 29.12.97 Brinkama, Katharina; StaHH 552-1, Jüdische Gemeinden, 992m Band 2; Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein, Abt. 510 Nr. 9699, Abt. 761 Nr. 17347; Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv; Bezirksamt Hamburg-Nord, Dezernat Wirtschaft, Bauen und Umwelt, Fachbereich Bauprüfung, Akte Herbert-Weichmann-Str. 51; AB 1907, 1912 bis 1919, 1924, 1929, 1931 bis 1938, 1941, 1943.
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