Eugen Gutmann: An honorable commemoration of the Dresden banker founder

Eugen Gutmann: An honorable commemoration of the Dresden banker founder

The city of Dresden commemorates today, on August 22, 2025, a very special man who raised the local financial world to a new level: Eugen Gutmann. The founder of Dresdner Bank was born on June 24, 1840 and died exactly 100 years ago, on August 21, 1925. Gutmann's influence on the German financial landscape is considered sustainable and formative.

Eugen Gutmann not only built up a bank that was one of the leading financial institutions in Germany in its best times, but was also known for having a good knack for business decisions. His vision and energy has ensured that Dresdner Bank played a central role in the region for many years.

a commemoration of suffering and loss

Despite his successes, Gutmann also had to experience deep personal suffering. He did not live to experience his family's persecution and deportation by the National Socialists. His son Fritz and his wife Louise, born of Landau, were murdered in the Theresienstadt and Auschwitz concentration camps in 1944. These tragic chapters of history clarify that there was also a painful shadow behind the economic rise.

to honor Gutmann's legacy, a plaque at Wilsdruffer Straße 20, the former seat of the banking house, was installed in 2008. This monument is not only a sign of respect for an important pioneer, but also a warning to remember the dark times of history and not to lose sight of the values ​​of humanity.

Today, numerous citizens gather at the location of the memorial plaque to commemorate Eugen Gutmann. It becomes clear that his legacy not only lives on in the history books, but also in the heart of the Dresdeners who actively deal with their history.

The memory of Eugen Gutmann is an important building block for today's society. In times when a handling of one another characterized by respect and humanity is essential, it is important to implement the teachings from the past in the present. Dresden shows how to do this - with commemoration and appreciation.