Moritz Leiffmann

Moritz Leiffmann
Born	Template:Birth date Unna, Germany
Died	May 29, 1921(1921-05-29) (aged 68)
Occupation(s)	Private banker, politician, author, art collector
Years active	Late 19th century – early 20th century

Moritz Leiffmann (2 February 1853 – 29 May 1921) was a German private banker, politician at the local level, author, and collector of art.

Life

Originating from Unna, Leiffmann was the son of a Jewish saddler. He climbed the social ladder through his roles at the Düsseldorf banking firm Bernhard Simons & Cie., established on 13 October 1881, initially serving as an authorised signatory until 1888 and subsequently as a personally liable partner until 1921. This institution was instrumental in funding industrial ventures within the Rhine and Ruhr areas. The expansion of the bank into a leading financial entity is largely credited to Leiffmann.

As a liberal member of Düsseldorf’s city council, he played a vital role in fostering the city’s economic and industrial progress, contributing to its reputation as the "Schreibtisch des Ruhrgebiets". Between 1915 and 1918, he acted as a representative of Düsseldorf in the Provincial Landtag of the Rhine Province.

Leiffmann was also an advocate for social and cultural projects. He was instrumental in launching the 1899 Goethe Festival in Düsseldorf, supported the erection of the 1901 Düsseldorf Mendelssohn monument, and held positions on the Board of Directors and as Head of Finance for the Internationale Kunst- und Gartenbau-Ausstellung Düsseldorf 1904 hosted at the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf. He contributed inscriptions to the 1916 Nail Men war memorial and commissioned Johannes Knubel’s wooden sculpture Bergischer Löwe. Additionally, he engaged as an economic commentator and authored librettos for composer Engelbert Humperdinck.

In contrast to his senior partner Michael Simons (1817–1895), who was a leading figure within Düsseldorf’s Jewish community, Leiffmann distanced himself from his Jewish religious heritage while maintaining membership in the Israelite community. He wed Fanny Kaiser (1859–1932). Their daughter Martha (born 1874) married Dr. Peter Janssen in 1904; their son Peter Janssen (b. 1906), who later became a painter, was baptized into Protestantism. In recognition of his contributions, Leiffmann received the honorary designation Kommerzienrat in 1910.

Villa Leiffmann

Around the turn of the twentieth century, the family moved from their modest apartment above the banking firm Bernhard Simons & Cie. in central Düsseldorf to the grand "Villa Leiffmann." Constructed in 1898 by Academy professor Adolf Schill, this residence embodied an eclectic Florentine villa architectural style. It was located in Düsseldorf-Golzheim on an expansive plot near the Rhine River, bounded by present-day Theodor Heuss Bridge, Nordpark Düsseldorf, Kaiserswerther Straße, and the riverbank.

The impressive villa, set within landscaped gardens and distinguished by its commanding double tower façade, became a prominent social venue until Leiffmann’s passing. It was noted for its exquisite interior furnishings and extensive art collection. Following Fanny Leiffmann’s death in 1932, this collection was auctioned publicly, attracting notable art dealers such as Alfred Flechtheim and Georg Paffrath.

In the mid-1920s, Fanny Leiffmann transferred ownership of a parcel from the villa grounds on Rotterdamer Straße 40 to her son-in-law Dr. Peter Janssen. Janssen commissioned architect Josef Kleesattel to design a home there in 1926; this building is currently protected as a historic monument.

During urban expansion initiatives led by National Socialist authorities in the 1930s—aimed at developing Düsseldorf into the Gauhauptstadt and promoting the "Schlageter City" cult of personality—the city purchased the villa property from Leiffmann’s heirs at a reduced price. The land was incorporated into the Reichsausstellung Schaffendes Volk and served as part of constructing the National Socialist model housing estate "Schlageter-Siedlung" (now known as Siedlung Golzheim). Having stood vacant since 1932, Villa Leiffmann was demolished by 1936.

A wrought-iron garden gate from this villa was preserved by writer Herbert Eulenberg and later installed at his estate "Haus Freiheit" located in Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth.

Gravesite

Leiffmann passed away in Düsseldorf at the age of 68. His spouse was interred in the Jewish section of the Düsseldorf Nordfriedhof. Their burial site is marked by a modest tufa headstone, which is believed to have been crafted by the sculptor Leopold Fleischhacker.

Publications

• Johannes. Idyll in Hexametern, narrative poem, 1878; second edition published in Leipzig, 1879
• Gold-Silber-Papier. Eine Studie, third edition released in Lintz, Düsseldorf, 1893
• Trifolium, published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, 1898 (a lyrical poem set to music by Engelbert Humperdinck, accompanied by illustrations)
• Kräfte und Pflichten des deutschen Geldmarktes im Kriegsfalle. Ein Mahnruf, Düsseldorf, 1899
• Zu den Wundern Amerikas. Reisebeschreibung, Schwann Verlag, Düsseldorf, 1908
• Stellung und Aufgaben des Privatbankiers im heutigen Wirtschaftsleben, lecture delivered at the 4th General German Bankers' Day, Munich, 1912; also included in Verhandlungen des IV. Allgemeinen Deutschen Bankiertages, Berlin, 1912
• Die Städte und der Krieg, featured in Bank-Archiv, volume 14, issue 8
• Die Aufgaben der Gemeinden im Kriegsfalle, presented in Akademie für kommunale Verwaltung (ed.): Vorträge der Kommunalen Woche, Düsseldorf, 1914 (a call for financial and other preparations by municipalities shortly before the start of World War I)
• Die feste Sicherung unserer Kriegsanleihen, published in Bank-Archiv, 1917

Further reading

• Max Kruk: Bankiers in ihrer Zeit. Die Männer von B. Simons & Co., series of the Institute for Banking History Research, volume 13, Fritz Knapp Verlag, Frankfurt, 1989

External links

• Christian Wolkersdorfer: Literatur von und über Moritz Leiffmann, Portal montan-wanderweg.at
• Abbildung der Villa Leiffmann, Portal schaffendesvolk.sellerie.de