History of the Bernardbau

Offenbach owes the Bernard Building, which houses the Haus der Stadtgeschichte, to the Bernard and d'Orville families. On January 31, 1733, the former Strasbourg citizen Johann Nicolaus Bernard received permission from Count Wolfgang Ernst III von Isenburg-Birstein to found a snuff factory. Together with this permission, the company also received the authorization to bear the addition "Fürstliche isenburgische priviligierte Schnupftabakfabrik" and other far-reaching privileges and benefits. Johann Heinrich Bernard, brother of Johann Nicolaus Bernard, joined the company as a partner shortly afterwards. The Bernard brothers thus founded what is now the oldest company in Offenbach.

The first production took place on the site of today's Büsingpalais. When the Büsingpalais was finally completed in 1775/80, the business was already being run by Johann Heinrich Bernard's son Peter and his sons-in-law Jean Georg d'Orville and Peter Georg d'Orville. The Büsingpalais owes its current name to Adolf Freiherr von Büsing-Orville, who acquired a Bavarian baronial title in 1901. His great-grandfather Jacob Philipp d'Orville, together with his brother Peter Georg d'Orville, had opened a branch of the Bernard brothers in Regensburg in 1812. The Büsingpalais also served as a residence for the Bernard and d'Orville families. When the lower Herrnstrasse was extended through to the Main in 1892, Bernard Brothers took the opportunity to construct a new building, as the previous premises in the Büsingpalais were no longer considered adequate. In 1896/97, the Bernardbau was put into operation as a new factory building. The building in the square with its large inner courtyard was designed by the architect Max Schröder, who in turn was a lecturer at the School of Arts and Crafts (today's College of Design).

The Bernard and d'Orville families, who were always very socially minded, gave back the economic success of their company to the city of Offenbach. They became patrons of culture in Offenbach, organizing theater performances and orchestral concerts themselves. The flourishing culture also attracted a number of famous people to Offenbach, one of the most famous visitors being Goethe. The history of the Bernard Building, which today houses an important part of Offenbach's culture with the House of City History, has thus come full circle.

The Büsingpalais was taken over by the city after the First World War in 1921 and used as the town hall. The Bernardbau remained in the possession of the Bernard brothers. The Büsingpalais was badly destroyed during the Second World War and the Bernardbau was also severely damaged. After the headquarters of Gebrüder Bernard AG had already been relocated to Regensburg in 1923, production at the headquarters in Offenbach also closed around 1955. The rooms of the Bernardbau were rented out to various companies, but it is still owned by the company today. In 1989, the city archive moved into Herrnstraße 61, followed by the city museum in 2004. Today, the Bernardbau is used almost entirely by the city administration. The Bernardbau is a listed industrial monument.