Karl Godulla
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Karl Godulla, Carolus Godulla, in
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
spelled Karol Godula (born 8 November 1781 in Makoschau, today Makoszowy, a subdivision of
Zabrze Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: , full form: , , ) is an industrial city put under direct government rule in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the western part of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of around 2 m ...
,
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
; died 6 July 1848 in Breslau, today
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
) was a
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
n self-made
industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
("the king of zinc"), and one of the best-known pioneers in the industrial development of
Prussian Silesia The Province of Silesia (; ; ) was a provinces of Prussia, province of Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1742 and established as an official province in 1815, then became part ...
.


Life

Godulla grew up in modest conditions and went into the services to Count von
Ballestrem The Ballestrem family is the name of a German nobility, German noble family, originally from Piedmont, Italy. Members of the family held political positions within the German Empire. The family is still extant, despite losing much of their land i ...
, who promoted the intelligent, ambitious and skillful young man. In 1807, Godulla was promoted to be the manager at the count estate, and in 1818 ascended to become the overseer of all his goods. In 1812, the zinc smelter "Karlhütte" construction began, and Godulla became its manager. He received from the count 28 shares ("freikuxen") in this new smelter, and this started his own business career. Soon, Godulla acquired his own coal mines,
calamine Calamine, also known as calamine lotion, is a medication made from powdered calamine (mineral), calamine mineral that is used to treat mild itchiness. Conditions treated include sunburn, insect bites, Toxicodendron radicans, poison ivy, poiso ...
mines and zinc smelters (such as the Szarlej mine). He attained a large fortune, partly through introduction of new industrial processes into the fast developing industry of Silesia. By the time of his death, Godulla owned 80 zinc mines, 4 zinc smelters, 48 coal mines and considerable real estate. Godulla was considered to be an economic person, who lived rather in his little wooden house in
Ruda Śląska Ruda Śląska (; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a city in the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica River (tributary of the Oder). It h ...
than in his palace at Schomberg (Szombierki), nowadays, a subdivision of
Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian language, Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital. It is one ...
. He was also known to be very industrious man, who allowed himself little peace, and who imposed these standards on his employees and workers of his industrial establishments. He declined knighthood allegedly stating that "the greatest nobility comes from the memory of an actful life".


Legacy

Godulla remained unmarried and childless. He adopted a child of a worker, Johanna Gryzik (1842–1910), who at the age of 6 inherited Godulla's fortune, at 16 was ennobled by
Friedrich Wilhelm IV Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the " romanticist on the ...
to Gryzik von Schomberg-Godulla, a month later married count Hans Ulrich von Schaffgotsch, and then successfully administered by herself the business empire, one of the largest in Germany. After World War II, the descendants of the family were expelled from Silesia, her grave was emptied, and most of the property destroyed. A subdivision of Ruda Śląska (''Godula'', de:''Godullahütte'') has historically been named after Carolus Godulla. Following the fall of communism, the Godula Upper-Silesian Higher Business School in
Chorzów Chorzów ( ; ; ) is a city in the Silesia region of southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central cities of the Metropolis GZM – a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa ...
was established. Godula's name was also given to a college in Ruda Śląska-Halemba (Zespół Szkół Ponadgimnazjalnych nr 3) and a primary school in Ruda Śląska-Godula (Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 40) and a high school in Bytom-Szombierki (Gimnazjum Nr 6). His daughter's name has recently (2007) been given to an elementary school (3) in Ruda Śląska (in today's Polish version, her name is spelled "hrabina Joanna Gryzik von Schaffgotsch").


Legends

As a young man, Godulla was disfigured, possibly by poachers, with business of whose he successfully interfered (part of his hired job). He lost an eye, use of one hand, had a disfigured face, permanent limp, and (allegedly) lost masculinity. Folk legends had it that he cut a deal with the devil (this was to explain his exceptionally good business fortune, the late-night experiments in chemistry, and personal oddities).Documentary movie "Karol Godulla"


Sources

* Peter Szczepanek, "Godulla und der Anfang der oberschlesischen Industrie", Echo Slonska, 2002-05-0
(in German)
* "Karol Godula", Echo Slonska, 2002-10-9


Excerpt from: Urbanek: "Carl Godulla und sein Werk" (www.prosilesia.net)

Wie ich den Godulla suchen ging
(Hans Nowak describes his novel "Godulla" in the newspaper article ''Zink wird Gold'', DIE ZEIT, 1949)
Ostdeutsche-Biographie: Karl Godulla, Bergbauunternehmer
(with further literature)


References


External links


Godula Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godula German company founders German industrialists 19th-century German landowners German mining businesspeople People from Zabrze 1781 births 1848 deaths Businesspeople from the Kingdom of Prussia