Paul Gentsch
1885 - 1955

Paul Josef Gentsch was born in Frankfurt on the Main on April 20, 1885, the son of the stamp dealer Friedrich Wilhelm Gentsch and Josefa Gentsch, née Jacobi. Both parents were Catholic. In August 1909, Paul Gentsch married Martha Lange, a Catholic born in Frankfurt on April 10, 1883. She was the daughter of the bank clerk Hugo Lebrecht Lange and Maria Magdalena Lange, née Heft. Paul Gentsch lived at Bornheimer Landstraße 20 at the time, Martha Lange at Humboldt street 83. A witness to the marriage was the bank clerk Karl Gentsch. In the Frankfurt address book of 1910, he is listed as a bank clerk at Neuhof street 7 under the name "Carl Gentzsch".

Paul Gentsch is also listed for the first time in the 1910 address book, with the address Humboldt street 83. His father is listed there under the surname Gentzsch with the address Bornheimer Landstraße 20 ("Briefmarkenhändler und Expedient"; stamp dealer and forwarding agent). Paul Gentsch therefore moved out of his parents' house to live with his wife when he married. However, the Langes lived on the 3rd floor at the time, while he and his wife lived on the first floor of this house. From 1915, Paul Gentsch lived at Klettenberg street 32, then from 1932 at Grillparzer street 30 in Frankfurt's Dichterviertel district.

Martha Gentsch died in July 1947, Paul Gentsch in April 1955 in Frankfurt on the Main. Their marriage was childless.

On April 20, 1950, Paul Gentsch not only celebrated his 65th birthday, but also his 50th anniversary with Deutsche Effecten- und Wechselbank AG (DEWB) in Frankfurt on the Main. This bank was founded in 1872 and had its headquarters in the "Kaiser Karree" in Frankfurt's Kaiser street from 1906. Paul Gentsch is actually listed as a bank official for the first time in the Frankfurt address book of 1910. However, he must have been working for this Frankfurt bank since 1900. In 1925, he is listed in the address books as a department manager for the first time. And only three years later we find him as a bank director. The Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsgesellschaft AG in Jena has since informed us that it has no personnel records of the former DEWB. Unfortunately, the large Frankfurt bank archives of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank do not have any documents on Paul Gentsch either. Consequently, we are currently unable to describe his career path in more detail.

Based on an entry in the address book of the city of Frankfurt on the Main from 1932, we know that Paul Gentsch was an authorized signatory for DEWB at the time. In addition to him, there were 13 other authorized signatories at that time, including Siegfried Gernsheimer, Louis Kaufmann and Raimund Schilk, three whose power of attorney expired according to Reichs- und Staatsanzeiger No. 11 of January 13, 1934. They presumably lost their position in the bank because they were Jews or had a Jewish family background. There were several Jews on the board of this bank, Gustav Benario (Berlin), Dr. Albert Hahn and Ismar Miodownik, who were also forced out of DEWB during the Nazi era. Dr. Albert Hahn emigrated to Switzerland in 1936 and then to the USA, while Ismar Miodownik emigrated to Palestine in 1939 and Gustav Benario was able to flee to the USA via Cuba in 1941.

Paul Gentsch, on the other hand, retained his position from the late Weimar Republic under National Socialism and was still an authorized signatory of DEWB in 1940, for example. After the Second World War, he continued to work for this bank. Paul Gentsch is thus an example of how non-Jewish experts, in this case a bank director, were able to survive two system changes unscathed.

Paul Gentsch joined the Frankfurt on the Main section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club in 1913. At the annual general meeting in March 1928, he was elected for the first time as one of the two substitutes for the auditors Director Eduard Bahmann and businessman Karl Rößler and thus took on an official function in the Frankfurt section. The following year, he was confirmed as a substitute auditor. At the same time, the board elected him to the committee of the Frankfurt section and made him deputy of the treasurer Willi Jureit--an obvious position as a bank director.

Paul Gentsch was re-elected to the committee in 1930. In that year, the board thanked him and Alfred Poenicke for their "efforts on the new book index". Paul Gentsch therefore not only took care of the finances, but was also committed to the section's library. He also traveled to the Kaunertal in the summer of 1930 and reported to the Executive Board on his observations and experiences there. In October 1930 we find him--abbreviated as Director G. in the Nachrichten-Blatt--donating the sum of 23.40 RM to the Rauhekopfhütte. In general, 1930 marked a turning point in his work for the section. He had not only become the administrator for rescue services, but also one of two deputies to the treasurer Willi Jureit, the only deputy to Gottfried Sprock for "Führerwesen" (guide services), the only deputy to the "Zeugwart" (equipment manager) Fritz Klüver and one of two deputies to the "Tourenwart" (tour manager) Albert Kopp. As with Gottfried Sprock, Paul Gentsch took on numerous functions on the section board at the time, albeit mainly as deputy. He also appeared for the first time as a representative of the Frankfurt section at the spring meeting of the Southwest German Alpine Club Sections in Koblenz in June 1930--alongside Dr. Rudolf Seng, Prof. Dr. Matthias Friedwagner and graduate engineer Fritz Teufel.

The following year, Paul Gentsch was re-elected to the committee and retained his functions: He was responsible for the rescue system, deputy treasurer Willi Jureit, deputy to Gottfried Sprock, who was responsible for guides, deputy to the equipment manager Fritz Klüver and deputy to the tour manager Albert Kopp. Max Moritz Wirth, the chairman of the section, praised Paul Gentsch at a meeting of the committee in April 1932 for his help in moving the office:

"Herr Wirth gedachte der vielseitigen Hilfe verschiedener Mitglieder beim Umzuge und dankte besonders Herrn Direktor Gentsch, der seinen ganzen Einfluß aufgeboten hatte, um unser neues Heim [in der Neuen Mainzer Straße 35] unter weitgehender Schonung der Sektionskasse ebenso wohnlich wie zweckentsprechend einzurichten." (Mr. Wirth remembered the versatile help of various members in the move and especially thanked Director Gentsch, who had used all his influence to furnish our new home [at Neue Mainzer street 35] in a way that was both homely and appropriate to its purpose, while largely sparing the section's funds.)

In 1932, Paul Gentsch's responsibilities on the board changed slightly. Instead of being responsible for the rescue service, he was now in charge of hiking, and for the first time also deputy to the secretary Curt Weißgerber and deputy to August Zull, who was responsible for the "Jugendgruppe" (youth group). He also remained deputy to the treasurer Willi Jureit, deputy to Gottfried Sprock, who was responsible for guides, deputy to the equipment manager Fritz Klüver and deputy to the tour manager Albert Kopp. It is currently impossible to say exactly how he fulfilled these many tasks, as we do not have the relevant sources.

The takeover of the section leadership by Dr. Ernst Wildberger and the new focus on National Socialist goals also brought significant changes for Paul Gentsch. Wildberger made him responsible for financial and organizational matters as well as hiking. All other tasks were dropped. He was now also among the section members who led guided tours through the low mountain ranges near Frankfurt. In January 1934, for example, he led a winter hike "Über den Feldberg" (Over the Feldberg)--together with Friedrich Carle--and in April 1934 a hike from Grävenwiesbach to Butzbach (together with Georg Seelbach). We have a description of the latter in the Nachrichten-Blatt, the original of which can be seen above.

The newly appointed Frankfurt section leader in February 1934, Dr. Rudolf Seng, then appointed Paul Gentsch as "Kassen- und Werbewart" (treasurer and promoting officer), meaning that he had to relinquish responsibility for hikes after a short time. However, as head of promoting, he had already published a contribution to an appeal by the National Socialist "Reich Sports Leader" Hans von Tschammer und Osten (1887-1943) in the Frankfurt section's news sheet in December 1933.

However, after relinquishing his responsibility for hiking, Paul Gentsch continued to lead individual hikes, for example in January 1935 on a Taunus hike over the Feldberg, in April 1935 on a Rhine hike from Bingerbrück to Trechtingshausen and in July 1935 on a Spessart hike from Ober-Sailauf to Bad Orb, the latter again with Georg Seelbach. Paul Gentsch represented the board at events organized by individual section groups, for example at the St. Nicholas party of the "Jungmannschaft" (young men's section) in December 1934. The Frankfurt section's Nachrichten-Blatt from December 1934 states on p. 62:

"Zur allgemeinen Belustigung trugen die von Direktor Gentsch in verständnisvoller Weise gestifteten 'Stärkungsmittel', in Form von 'Expander' bei. Ihm sei an dieser Stelle herzlich Dank gesagt! Ebenso wurden wir höchst überrascht und erfreut durch die Mitteilung von Direktor Gentsch, daß die Sektionsleitung die Miete für das Schiheim in Oberreifenberg übernommen hat und uns somit kostenlose Uebernachtung und Benutzung ermöglicht. Mit herzlichen Worten dankte unser 'Jonny', und ein dreifaches 'Bergheil' erscholl auf den Vorstand, der der Jugend gegenüber so viel Verständnis entgegenbringt." (The 'tonics' in the form of 'expanders' donated by Director Gentsch in an understanding manner contributed to the general amusement. We would like to take this opportunity to thank him warmly! We were also extremely surprised and delighted to hear from Director Gentsch that the section Management had taken over the rent for the ski lodge in Oberreifenberg, thus enabling us to stay overnight and use it free of charge. Our 'Jonny' thanked us with heartfelt words, and a threefold 'Bergheil' rang out to the board, which shows so much understanding towards the youth.)

At the annual general meeting in February 1935, Paul Gentsch was reappointed treasurer and promoting officer by Rudolf Seng, but he resigned shortly afterwards without us being able to say why. However, there does not appear to have been any fundamental disagreement with the section leader, as Rudolf Seng thanked him at an advisory board meeting for his many years of exemplary work. His successor was his former deputy, chief accountant Rudolf Tonn. Paul Gentsch remained a member of the section and was therefore honored for 25 years of membership in the Alpine Club at the annual general meeting in March 1938. According to Nachrichten-Blatt No. 2 from May 1950, after the destruction of the business premises in Neue Mainzer street during an Allied air raid in 1944, Paul Gentsch had taken valuable "Hüttenausrüstung" (hut equipment) belonging to the section to safety. How and what exactly Paul Gentsch took with him at that time is unclear.

After the Second World War, he reappeared on the Executive Board of the Frankfurt section from 1949. At first, he only took part in meetings of the Building and Finance Committee. Two years later, he became a member of the section's "Ältestenrats" (Council of Elders). And in 1952, Paul Gentsch was elected together with the auditor Münch to replace the two auditors who were unable to attend and whose term of office had not yet expired. The following year, he received the award for 40 years of membership in the German Alpine Club. Bank director Paul Gentsch thus worked on the board of the Frankfurt section in three systems, namely in the last years of the Weimar Republic, in the first years of the Nazi dictatorship and again in the Federal Republic of Germany.