top of page

Caesar & Minka - dog dealers on a grand scale


 

Cäsar & Minka race dog breeding and trading of the finest race dogs


Cäsar und Minka - the name of a large dog wholesaler who operated trade and exhibitions at the station in Zahna (Wittenberg).

In 1841 Zahna received a train station on the newly built Berlin-Dessau-Köthen railway line. Industry developed in the city in the last third of the 19th century. The world-famous pedigree dog breeder "Caesar and Minka" was also based in the city. The name "Hundezahna" comes from this time.

The provider describes itself in its advertisements as a supplier to the German Emperor, the Emperor of Russia and other royal and princely courts. This title is not completely outlandish, since the "Reichshund Tyras", a mastiff from Ulm, was bought from Caesar & Minca in March 1889.

In an article from "Die Gartenlaube" (1872), the author Heinrich Leutemann reported the following on his visit to the factory owner Adolf Heinrich August Bergmann at his court in Waldheim:

Like a pack of wild beasts the hounds moved about; all lion-yellow in colour, Caesar, besides being distinguished by his size, distinguished still more by the more vivid yellow and glossy black finish of his curly silky hair; Minka, the bitch, inferior to the giant Caesar in size and coloring, but, as befits her sex, elegant in form and far more agile and quick, while the three young half-grown dogs, which for the time being, if I am not mistaken, still without Names ran around, found themselves in that transitional period from childhood to maturity, in which people are often quite insufferable, but which neither dogs nor surroundings dreaded here.

At that time it was common to refer to very large dogs as mountain dogs (also alpine dogs). Bergmann's specimens were advertised to be up to 86 cm (male) and weighed around 145 pounds (over 65 kg).

This is how Caesar and Minka gave their name to the "racing dog breeder".

Bergmann was not the only one who had an enormous influence on this breed or its further development at the time, the founder of the Leonberger, Heinrich Essig (180-1889) from Stuttgart, had similar aspirations. He sold several hundred dogs at top prices worldwide.


Caesar and Minca ad
Caesar and Minca ad

Diana - Risenberg bitch by Heinrich Bergmann
Diana - Risenberg bitch by Heinrich Bergmann

Adolf Heinrich August Bergmann and the history of his empire


A. H. A. Bergmann (1799-1858) started relatively small in 1823 with a material goods store, which he expanded to include a vinegar distillery and a chocolate factory. This was followed by the distribution of smoking and snuff tobacco and the opening of several branches for the sale of the products. His focus was on the production of everyday items with good sales.

In 1851 he founded the factory to provide chemical fertilizers in Waldheim. Only a few years later, the focus changed to personal hygiene articles and dental soap (Rosodont), toilet soap and liquid hair soap (shampoo) were produced.

The youngest son H. Richard Bergmann and his grandson A. Heinrich Richard Bergmann took over all the property in 1872 and founded the Waldheim perfumery and toilet soap factory A.H.A. Bergmann in honor of the late A.H.A. Bergmann.

In 1919, the grandson Heinrich Richard Bergmann received all powers of attorney over properties and factories. The brand name Florena" (at that time a talcum powder), which is still known and used today, is registered in the Munich Reich Patent Office in April 1920.

Two years later, the name was changed to Waldheimer Perfumery and Fine Soap Factory A.H. A. Bergmann renamed. Business was very good, the economic crisis reduced sales and the quality of production. With the Second World War, the factory was confiscated by the Soviet Union, but continued to produce for them. In 1946 the company was expropriated and privatized by referendum. Production has not stopped to this day, it is now owned by Florena Cosmetik GmbH as a subsidiary of Beiersdorf AG.


Billboard for the company Bergman & Co Perfumery Factory
Chromolithograph around 1900, Berlin

This development history is relevant insofar as Bergmann intensively advanced and expanded industrialization and the strong economic interest not only in the area of his family business. The same thought was applied to dog sales. It was a kind of huge dog market.

The direct sale and exhibition area of the "finest racing dogs" took place at the station in Zahna, district of Wittenberg, between Jessen and Schweinitz on what was then the Falkenberger railway.

The breeder Bergmann or his descendants were not named in the advertisements. Instead, Friedrich Otto and Carl Zorn turned up as co-owners. Both wrote self-published books for the breeders.


Numerous advertising and a growing range

These are just a few of the countless advertisements from the world-famous Caesar & Minka dog breeders.



As can be seen from the advertisements, all breeds were offered, including "Spitzer", "Seidenspitz" (See Seidenspitz) and so-called "Löwenspitze" (See Löwenspitz) or "Löwenspitzer".

People were not satisfied with the dog trade alone. The offer was supplemented by dog food (and dog biscuits) and even medicines (home medicine cabinet).


As already mentioned, Otto Friedrich self-published the book Des noble dog - rearing, care, training and treatment of his diseases, published


Book: rearing, care, training and treatment of his diseases
The breeding, care, training and treatment of diseases of the noble dog

Carl Zorn published the work The Dog Friend. A guide to rearing and caring for dogs and treating their diseases. for Caesar and Minka - also self-published around 1902.


The dog friend by Carl Zorn
The dog friend by Carl Zorn

Pages from the book "The Dog Friend" by Carl Zorn
Pages from "The Dog Lover"

Read more:

 

Sources:


Recent Posts

See All

Comments

bottom of page