# Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft
**Wikidata**: [Q101435148](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101435148)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/schlesische-feuerversicherungs-gesellschaft

## Summary
The Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft (Silesian Fire Insurance Company) was a fire insurance organization founded in 1848 and headquartered in Wrocław, then part of the German Reich. Operating within the insurance, reinsurance, and pension funding sector, it was eventually succeeded by Colonia Kölnische Versicherungs-AG and maintained a subsidiary relationship with Silesia, Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG.

## Key Facts
- **Inception**: 1848
- **Headquarters**: Wrocław
- **Country**: German Reich
- **Industry**: Insurance, reinsurance, and pension funding (except compulsory social security)
- **Instance of**: Organization, business, fire insurance
- **Owned by**: Aachen Münchener (26% ownership stake)
- **Succeeded by**: Colonia (Colonia Kölnische Versicherungs-AG)
- **Subsidiary**: Silesia, Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
- **Board Member**: Christian Oertel
- **Supervisory Board Members**: Hugo Milch; Robert Hackelöer-Köbbinghoff (service ended 1923)
- **PM20 Folder ID**: co/044854
- **PM20 Documentation**: 76 items, 76 digitized pages

## FAQs

**What was the Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft?**
The Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft was a fire insurance organization established in 1848 and based in Wrocław, within the German Reich. It operated as a business entity specializing in insurance, reinsurance, and pension funding outside the realm of compulsory social security.

**Who owned and governed the company?**
Aachen Münchener held a 26% ownership stake in the organization. Governance included board member Christian Oertel and supervisory board members Hugo Milch and Robert Hackelöer-Köbbinghoff, the latter serving until 1923.

**What was the company's succession and subsidiary structure?**
The Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft was followed by Colonia Kölnische Versicherungs-AG. It also maintained a subsidiary known as Silesia, Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG.

**How is the company documented in archival records?**
The organization is recorded in the Pressemappe 20 (PM20) system under folder ID co/044854, containing 76 items and 76 digitized pages. Its subsidiary Silesia, Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG is documented under PM20 folder ID co/044871, while its successor Colonia is referenced under PM20 folder ID co/002029.

## Why It Matters
The Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft represents a significant historical enterprise in the Central European insurance landscape during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1848—a year of widespread revolutionary upheaval across Europe—the company emerged during a period of increasing industrialization and urbanization in the German Reich, times when fire insurance was essential for protecting property and commercial assets. Its operations in Wrocław (then Breslau) positioned it as a regional financial institution serving the Silesian territory. The company's eventual succession by Colonia and its partial ownership by Aachen Münchener illustrate the consolidation and integration patterns that characterized the German insurance industry, reflecting broader economic transformations in the region.

## Notable For
- **Founding Era**: Established in 1848 during a pivotal year of European political and economic change
- **Specialized Focus**: Classified specifically as a fire insurance entity at a time when such specialization was an advancing financial service
- **Strategic Location**: Headquartered in Wrocław, a major urban center in the historical region of Silesia within the German Reich
- **Corporate Legacy**: Its succession by Colonia Kölnische Versicherungs-AG connected it to a wider network of German insurance institutions
- **Documented Heritage**: Extensive archival documentation through the PM20 system with 76 items and digitized pages preserving its corporate history
- **Subsidiary Network**: Maintained Silesia, Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG as a subsidiary, expanding its operational reach

## Body

### History and Foundation
Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft was founded in 1848. The company's creation placed it among the specialized insurance enterprises emerging in the German Reich during the mid-19th century, a period when formalized risk management entities were becoming critical infrastructure for industrial and urban development. Its operations continued until its succession by Colonia Kölnische Versicherungs-AG.

### Corporate Structure and Ownership
The company operated as a formal organization and business entity, classified specifically as a fire insurance provider. Its ownership structure included a 26% stake held by Aachen Münchener, reflecting interconnected ownership within the German financial sector. Governance involved a two-tier board system common in German corporate structures:

- **Board Member**: Christian Oertel
- **Supervisory Board Members**: Hugo Milch and Robert Hackelöer-Köbbinghoff (whose service ended in 1923)

### Operations and Industry Classification
Headquartered in Wrocław, the company conducted business in the insurance, reinsurance, and pension funding sector, excluding compulsory social security services. As an instance of organization, business, and fire insurance, the entity operated within a specialized niche of the broader financial services industry. Archival references from 2021 document the company under the name variant "Schlesische Feuerversicherung-Gesellschaft."

### Subsidiary and Succession Relationships
The company expanded its operational structure through a subsidiary entity, Silesia, Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG. This subsidiary is recorded in the PM20 system under folder ID co/044871.

Schlesische Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft was ultimately followed by Colonia Kölnische Versicherungs-AG. This succession is documented in corporate records referencing Colonia under PM20 folder ID co/002029.

### Archival Documentation
The company is cataloged in the Pressemappe 20 (PM20) filing system under folder ID co/044854. This entry contains 76 items comprising 76 digitized pages, providing documentary evidence of the company's historical activities and corporate existence. The PM20 folder is referenced via the persistent URI http://purl.org/pressemappe20/folder/co%2F044854.

## References

1. 20th Century Press Archives
2. [Source](http://purl.org/pressemappe20/folder/co%2F044854)