Philipp Holzmann

Philipp Holzmann AG

Company type	Aktiengesellschaft
Industry	Construction, civil engineering
Predecessor	Philipp Holzmann & Cie
Founded	January 1, 1849 (1849-01-01) in Sprendlingen, Germany
Founder	Johann Philipp Holzmann
Defunct	2002 (2002)
Fate	Liquidation
Headquarters	Frankfurt am Main , Germany
Area served	Germany, United States, Netherlands, East Africa, Asia
Products	Construction services, civil engineering projects
Number of employees	43,000 (1994)

Philipp Holzmann AG was a construction firm headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Early years

Established in 1849 by Johann Philipp Holzmann (1805–1870) in Sprendlingen near Frankfurt am Main under the name Philipp Holzmann & Cie, the enterprise began by providing railway sleepers before branching out into building construction and civil engineering. The company relocated its main office to Frankfurt in 1856, where it experienced significant growth during the latter half of the 19th century.

Among its prominent early undertakings were the opera house completed in 1880, Frankfurt Central Station finished in 1888, and Amsterdam Centraal railway station inaugurated in 1889. Holzmann was also responsible for constructing the original Reichstag building (1894), Hamburg city hall (1897), and numerous major rail infrastructure projects across East Africa and Asia. Noteworthy among these was the Bagdadbahn starting in 1903, which included Istanbul's Haydarpaşa Terminal (1908) and the Varda Viaduct located in southern Turkey (1916). Additional significant projects comprised the Elbe Tunnel (1911), the causeway known as the Hindenburgdamm (1927), and the modernist housing estate at Frankfurt’s Riederwald.

In 1917, Philipp Holzmann & Cie merged with Internationale Baugesellschaft, leading to its transformation into the publicly listed company Philipp Holzmann Aktiengesellschaft. By 1938, its workforce had grown to 20,800 employees, contributing to landmark constructions such as Berlin's new Reich Chancellery, the Nazi party rally grounds in Nürnberg, the Prora complex, the Westwall, and segments of the Reichsautobahn. During World War II, Holzmann played a key role in building extensive portions of the Atlantic Wall under the supervision of the Organisation Todt.

Post-war years

Following World War II, the company rapidly regained momentum by participating in Frankfurt’s reconstruction efforts, including developments at the airport and vital public infrastructure. Significant projects during this era included Venezuela’s General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge (1962), Frankfurt’s AfE-Turm (1972), Westend Gate (1976), Eurotower (1977), and Silberturm (1978). These achievements supported Holzmann’s entry into the United States market, culminating with its 1979 acquisition of J.A. Jones Construction, a leading American construction firm.

Subsequent notable projects encompassed Frankfurt’s Frankfurter Büro Center (1980), Eurotheum (1999), Main Tower (2000), Trianon (2003), as well as the Western Scheldt Tunnel in the Netherlands completed in 2003.

Decline

At its zenith in 1994, Philipp Holzmann employed approximately 43,000 personnel and reported revenues of 13.1 billion Deutsche Mark, establishing itself as Germany’s largest construction enterprise. Despite attempts at public financial restructuring, insolvency proceedings were initiated in 1999, leading to full liquidation by 2002.

External links

• Former official Philipp Holzmann website