Search for Names, Places and Biographies

Dr. Hans Teppich * 1890

Potosistraße 31 (Altona, Blankenese)

HIER WOHNTE
DR. HANS TEPPICH
JG. 1890
"SCHUTZHAFT" 1943
KZ FUHLSBÜTTEL
DEPORTIERT 1943
THERESIENSTADT
1944 AUSCHWITZ
ERMORDET 31.10.1944

Dr. Hans Teppich, born on 18.7.1890 in Königsberg, deported to Theresienstadt Ghetto on 9.6.1943, on 28.9.1944 to Auschwitz, murdered there

Potosistraße 31

Hans Teppich was born in Königsberg on July 18, 1890. He was co-owner of the local company F. Teppich, Holzhandlung, at Gebauhrstraße 14-15, founded in 1862. Presumably he was awarded a doctorate in law with a dissertation on the subject of "Die Sicherungsübereignung von Warenlagern", which was published in Greifswald in 1913.

On 30.12.1921 he and the non-Jewish Margot, née Gottschalk, had married. The couple had two children, born in 1923 and 1927.

In July 1938, the business was "Aryanized". Hans Teppich's share was transferred to the previous partner, who wrote a little later to the Chief Finance President in Königsberg:
"As of August 1 of this year. J. I am the sole owner of the above-mentioned company ... Heil Hitler."

This letter prompted the Foreign Exchange Office (Devisenstelle) at the Chief Finance President to take an interest in Hans Teppich's financial circumstances and to examine the need for a "security order." In the course of this procedure, Hans Teppich's entire assets were first listed. Since the Nazi authorities always assumed the "danger" of emigration and thus of the capital flight of the person concerned as a pretext for blocking the assets, Hans Teppich affirmed to the authorities that he did not want to emigrate under any circumstances. Rather, he wanted to stay in Germany and support himself from the proceeds of his assets. However, this did not help him.

On October 5, 1938, the Foreign Exchange Office of the Chief Finance President in Königsberg imposed a "security order" on him and his wife. This meant that he was only allowed to dispose of his assets to a limited extent and only with the approval of the Office, except for a fixed amount for living expenses, which was constantly reduced in new notices. The assets of both spouses at that time amounted to about half a million Reichsmarks.

As justification for the "security order," the Foreign Exchange Office stated: "He [Hans Teppich] claims not to have emigration intentions despite leaving the company, since he does not have acquaintances and relatives abroad and his two children are half-Jews (Mischlinge) in view of his wife's Aryan descent and are therefore not inhibited in their education in Germany. These statements may be true for the moment. Nevertheless, it is not foreseeable whether Dr. Teppich will not change his opinion within a short period of time if other circumstances arise and move his residence abroad with his family. Under these circumstances, however, in view of the amount of liquid assets, the danger cannot be ruled out that in due course he will attempt to transfer parts of his assets abroad by circumventing the German foreign exchange regulations... On the other hand, this does not constitute a burden for Dr. Teppich, since all the proceeds of his and his wife's assets are at his free disposal. Thus there is no interference with his economic circumstances; moreover, he may expect that he will be largely shown concession in any intended other investment of his assets."

A change in circumstances occurred very soon: At the end of October 1938, the Königsberg tax office demanded securities in the amount of 90,000 Reichsmarks from Hans Teppich and his wife as security for Reich flight tax and other claims of the German Reich. At the same time, Margot Teppich sold the property she owned in Königsberg on poor terms. Only half of the purchase price was paid into a blocked account, the other half was deferred until 1940.

In December 1939, the Teppich family moved to Blankenese to Zur Fernsicht 31 (today Potosistraße 31) - probably also in the assumption that emigration could be organized more easily from there. Thus the responsibility passed from the Foreign Exchange Office Königsberg to Hamburg, which took over the Königsberg files.

On November 9, 1938, the National Socialists staged the November pogrom, the "Reichskristallnacht," and shortly thereafter imposed an "atonement" for the damage caused. Jews of German nationality were to pay more than 100,000,000 Reichsmarks in several installments. Hans Teppich had to sell more securities in December 1938 to pay RM 20,000 of his first installment of this "Judenvermögensabgabe."

In the meantime, he actually wanted to emigrate. However, it did not come to that, because now the Foreign Exchange Office Hamburg took up its work: The life insurance policies taken out by Hans Teppich and the savings accounts of his children were now targeted. Gifts of 30,000 RM each to his wife and children were initially approved with the proviso that these were also set up as blocked deposits. However, the Foreign Exchange Office again prohibited the donation to the wife, since the transfer of Jewish assets to the "Aryan" spouse was not permissible.

On May 27, 1943, the marriage of the Teppichs was divorced.

On June 4, 1943, Hans Teppich requested the release of RM 100,000 from his "security account" "for the purpose of securing the maintenance of the wife and the two children on the occasion of my forthcoming evacuation." This accounted for half of his remaining assets. This time his request was granted.

On June 9, 1943, Hans Teppich was deported to Theresienstadt in Transport VI/7 with a total of 81 people; the transport list states next to his address in Blankenese: "currently in custody." Had Hans Teppich been arrested before?

From Theresienstadt, Hans Teppich was transferred on Transport Ek to Auschwitz on 28.9.1943 and murdered there.

After his death, the "security order" on the part of the property transferred to his wife was revoked. The other part was forfeited to the German Reich.

Translation Beate Meyer

Stand: February 2023
© Sabine Boehlich (verstorben 2016)

Quellen: Staatsarchiv Hamburg (StaH) 351-11_12543, _12544, _12546; StaH 314-15 R 1939/0237, R 1940/0039; StaH 213-13_17877, _24783; StaH 621-1/84_119.