Date of use : Germany

Schering & Spindlersfeld Factory

Unused Postcard. Founded in 1851 in Berlin by Ernst Schering under the name "Grüne Apotheke," Schering AG quickly expanded its activities in the field of chemistry. By 1871, it had adopted a more institutional identity as "Chemische Fabrik auf Actien (vormals E. Schering)." Initially producing salicylic acid, Atophan, and various disinfectants, the company gradually diversified into different branches of the chemical industry. In the early 20th century, this diversification extended to the development of chemical products related to optics and photography.

In the 1920s, Schering took over the large laundry and dyeing business of W. Spindler in the Köpenick district of Berlin and established a significant production site in Spindlersfeld. Since the late 19th century, this area had become one of Berlin's prominent industrial zones. Schering's newly established "Photographische Abteilung" (Photographic Department) at this site was responsible for the production of various chemicals used in photography, including darkroom chemicals such as developers and fixers, film and glass plates coated with triacetate or similar materials, and special emulsions for photographic papers.

By the 1930s, the Spindlersfeld facilities were not only producing photographic materials but also strategic products for industry and the military. Triacetate-based insulation materials, in particular, were in high demand by the Wehrmacht for cable insulation. With the establishment of film casting departments, the factory further strengthened its role in both chemical production and advanced industrial applications.

However, the progress came to a halt with World War II. Schering's Spindlersfeld factory suffered heavy damage from Allied air raids. In 1945, the facilities were occupied by Soviet forces and briefly resumed operations, but the machinery was soon dismantled, and production ceased entirely.

In 1949, under East German administration, the site was nationalized and reopened as a laundry under the name "VEB Rewatex." Thus, a site that had once played a key role in chemistry and photographic production was transformed into a unit of socialist industrial output.

This transformation is vividly captured in a postcard that reflects not only the image of a factory but also Germany's industrial history, the intersection of the chemical industry with photography, and the processes of post-war transformation. The back of the card bears the inscription "Satrap – Postkarte," and the image was printed by Rapidophot G.m.b.H., a Berlin-Tempelhof-based company known especially for reproducing industrial postcards and technical visuals. Since the 1930s, the Tempelhof district had emerged as one of Germany's major industrial and transportation hubs.

Although detailed information on Rapidophot G.m.b.H. is scarce, it is believed—like many similar firms of the time—that it either ceased operations after World War II or was nationalized under the East German regime. In conclusion, this postcard serves as a multi-layered historical document, capturing technological progress, industrial capacity, the devastating effects of war, and the structural shifts brought about by the socialist era.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
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