Coat hanger

The early 20th century saw a revival of the clothing industry in Szczecin. Large department stores selling mainly clothing and underwear began to spring up here, following the example of major Western European cities. Textile production and the mass production of ready-made garments, which were then sold at attractive low prices, also began on site, which was of great importance after the difficult times of the crisis in post-war Germany. In addition to shop signs and advertisements in the press, wooden hangers, often bearing the company or owner's name and address, advertised the finished garment. The Szczecin History Museum houses several such paraphernalia from the first half of the 20th century. A name is affixed to the presented copy: BEKLEIDUNGS - HALLEN and address information: Schulzenstr. Ecke Breitestr. Eingang Schulzenstr. I Treppe. Certainly, this location refers to pre-war Szczecin. Schulzentrasse (Sołtysia Street) was located in the Old Town and was adjacent to Breitestrasse (Wyszyński Street). Both Schulzentrasse and Breitestrasse in the 1st half of the 20th century had quite a few shops and clothing halls, especially with men’s clothing. These two streets flourished at the turn of the 20th century, when many residential buildings, but also department stores, were erected here. As the 1935 inventory of Jewish shops and workshops in Szczecin indicates, many of the businesses there belonged to Jewish merchants who are considered to be pioneers in the off-the-shelf clothing trade in the Szczecin market. Małgorzata Peszko