Perhaps you as a reader would not be here today, perhaps the Portal would not even exist and perhaps Freudenberg would not play a role in your life at all if it were not for her (and her firm belief in her husband's business idea and her capital). So to mark the end of the anniversary year, we are dedicating this article to the woman who has always remained in the background, but who has - almost certainly - indirectly influenced the lives of around 50,000 employees worldwide: Sophie Freudenberg, née Martenstein. Without Sophie...well, you probably know best what your life would have been like without your job at Freudenberg! Her story begins on March 27, 1820 in Worms. Sophie was born into a wealthy family, the only daughter of Friedrich Carl Martenstein and his wife Elisabeth. There is little information about her childhood and school years, but her social commitment developed early on due to her mother's need for care. Even later, when she already had a family of her own, she occasionally took over the care of her mother in Worms.
In her youth, visits to other places still meant traveling in a carriage. The journey from Frankfurt to Darmstadt, for example - a distance of around 34 kilometers - meant a (probably bumpy) ride of several hours. For Sophie, who took trips to visit friends and relatives in Mannheim or Wiesbaden to compensate for looking after her mother, these trips offered a much sought-after diversion: visits to art galleries and plays as well as cultural events.
It is said that she met her future husband, our company founder Carl Johann Freudenberg, during one such trip on a Sunday in the spring of 1843, at a “Liedertafel” (comparable to a singing group today) in Mannheim. It only took a few meetings: In a society where marriages were often more business arrangements than decisions of the heart, Sophie showed her own will. She fell in love with Carl Johann and was certain that he was the man she wanted to share her life with. After her parents were also convinced that he not only had a good character but was also economically successful, the two married and started a family with eight children together. Faith in her husband's business idea
But the initial happiness was not to last long. When the revolution broke out in the south-west German states in 1848, the young Freudenberg family, then living in Mannheim, also experienced severe turbulence. Carl Johann's first shareholding in the company Heintze & Sammet fell victim to the political unrest. The financing bank had to file for bankruptcy and Sophie and Carl Johann faced major financial challenges at that time.
However, the crisis also presented a great opportunity: Carl Johann founded his own leather factory together with Heinrich Christian Heintze. With the opening of the Heintze & Freudenberg tannery in Weinheim on February 9, 1849, they laid the foundations for the Freudenberg company, which still exists today.
Sophie played a key role in this, as her capital in the form of an early inheritance, which she invested in her husband's business idea, formed the financial basis for founding the company. Her written memoirs show a woman who was determined to keep a clear head in difficult times and make the right decisions. Silent power in the background
Sophie Freudenberg embodied strength and determination. She was not only a caring mother and daughter, but also a wise advisor and supporter for her husband. At a time when women were often confined to the role of housewife, Sophie showed that she was much more - a partner at eye level who helped shape both family life and the company - even if only in the background.
Her social commitment and foundations, such as the support of employees in need and the establishment of a nursing station, underline her vision and humanity. Even after Carl Johann's death in 1898, Sophie remained a central figure in the family. Her social legacy continues to have an impact on our modern company to this day.
She died in Weinheim on January 14, 1904 at the age of 83. Photos: Corporate Archives