The 1st of May was staged under National Socialism as ‘National Labor Day’ and served the ideological enforced conformity of the working class. Companies from all over Germany, including companies from Schiltach, such as Hansgrohe, took part in the nationwide propaganda parades. These events were intended to demonstrate the unity of labor, people and leaders, and to publicly express loyalty to the regime. In advance, the authorities issued detailed regulations on flags, dress codes, marching rules and ceremonial procedures in order to create a uniform and powerful image. The photo shows a festival float from Hansgrohe on the occasion of May 1st. The float celebrated the company’s international character, but also displayed the new national flag on its sides: the swastika.
Between Front and Factory
When the world falls apart, no place remains untouched. Even in Schiltach, far from the great battlefields, the world wars changed everything: daily life, the economy, and the people. Family businesses like Hansgrohe faced existential challenges. Patriotism, state pressure, and the desire for normalcy shaped how people dealt with the crisis. Behind dry numbers and production plans lie personal stories – of adaptation, responsibility, and survival.
World War I: Supply and Shortages
With the outbreak of World War I, twelve employees were drafted. Their families lost their bread winners. Hans Grohe responded pragmatically: he leased fields and gardens to provide food for employees and the families of those drafted.
Germany was suffering from famine; newspapers in 1916/17 spoke of the “turnip winter.” Due to the British naval blockade and war-related shortages, many people survived mainly on rutabagas. The war also had indirect effects: all company stocks of copper, brass, as well as finished and semi-finished products, were confiscated.
World War I and II: Fuse Production
As a metalworking company with machinery and expertise, Hansgrohe was drawn into armaments production during both world wars. By government order, the company manufactured fuses and their components, as well as smaller metal parts.
During World War II, the number of employees, working hours in multiple shifts, production space, and total output increased dramatically. In 1939, 255 people worked at the Kinzig site; by 1944, there were already 466.
Hansgrohe never sought to continue war production. In 1941, it was stated internally that everything used for the manufacture of “army equipment” would be “completely worthless” in peacetime. After the war, production shrunk rapidly: in 1946, only 70 to 80 people worked three days a week at the factory.
Era of National Socialism: Growth and Adaptation
In 1933, the Nazi dictatorship began in Germany, supported by large parts of the population. Hans Grohe Sr. and Jr. sided with liberal parties. Unlike his resolute father, Hans Grohe Jr., later co-managing director, adapted to the new circumstances and joined the NSDAP. Further party memberships among non-family managers only occurred under external pressure during the war.
Hansgrohe’s growth in the 1930s and its position as a major player in the sanitary industry were mainly due to the overall economic recovery. Between 1933 and 1937, sales doubled and reached a record level. A key pillar was also the stable foreign business, which carried Hansgrohe through the Great Depression. In 1937, 21 representatives sold goods from Schiltach at home and abroad. There was no connection between the company’s success and the policies of the Nazi regime. Until at least 1938, Hansgrohe retained two “non-Aryan” (Nazi term) representatives.
May 1st under National Socialism
Parade for 'National Labor Day' in Schiltach
World War II: Forced Labor
From 1939, many employees were called to the front. At the same time, Hansgrohe had to produce armaments again from 1940 and was classified as a “war-essential” company. Initially, women, from the region who were required to work, filled the gaps.
From 1941, Western European contract workers were assigned to the company, followed in 1942 by forced laborers from the Soviet Union, mainly from Ukraine. French prisoners of war also worked at Hansgrohe. This practice was part of the ever- expanding system of Nazi forced labor in Germany and occupied Europe.
Between 1941 and 1945, Hansgrohe was assigned at least 90 to 100 forced laborers. In 1944, they accounted for 16% of the workforce. So-called civilian workers from France, the Netherlands and Poland are housed privately and in restaurants. “Eastern workers“ from the Soviet Union, especially from Ukraine and Russia, live in a wooden barrack on the factory premises.
Hansgrohe tried to ensure humane treatment and adequate care and advocated for more freedoms with the authorities. A Polish forced laborer acknowledged this in a letter to Hans Grohe Sr. after the war. However, these efforts did not change the harsh external conditions of forced labor.
In 2000, Hansgrohe participated in compensating former forced laborers through the “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” foundation.
Occupation and New Beginnings
Schiltach was occupied by French troops in 1945. Soldiers were housed with the Grohe family seven times by 1946. Hans Grohe Sr. befriended the commander. “Papa Grohe,” as he was called by the commander, later kept in touch by letter with Paris.
Although Hansgrohe benefited from the expansion of the factory during the war, as a former armaments company it now had to pay extensive reparations and lost stored raw materials and machinery. In addition, there were significant outstanding payments from unpaid deliveries. Only in 1949 was the threat of dismantling by the French occupation finally averted.
This marked the beginning of a new phase for Hansgrohe: the arduous reconstruction in peacetime.
Historical Assessment
In 2000, Hansgrohe AG participated in compensating former forced laborers through the Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft (EVZ) and conducted initial research. To gain clarity regarding the company’s role during the National Socialist era, both internal and external historical records were reviewed and analyzed by historians from Birke und Partner GmbH in 2024–2025 as part of the ongoing development of a professional corporate archive.
