The Villa of August Becker

Impressions of the Villa Becker, Glass Museum Boffzen, in 2016 Photos: Stefanie Waske

This villa was built in 1905 by the glass factory owner August Becker and his wife Else. It gives a good impression of the couple’s tastes and affinities: they chose Weser sandstone for the outer walls of the villa, and the timber-framed parts of the side walls remind us of the traditional way of building of the Weserbergland. The villa fitted in harmoniously in the surroundings and at the same time towered over most of the buildings in Boffzen. The villa stood for ambition and successful entrepreneurship. The glass factory of the family known as „Georgshütte G. Becker & Co.“ was located in the immediate neighbourhood; the owner was close by.

Portrait photo of Else and August Becker, 1926 Photo: Archive Glass Museum Boffzen

The stained glass windows illustrate more than 500 years of family history. August Becker’s ancestors were already mentioned in the Spessart Regulations (Spessart-Ordnung) of the Glassmakers‘ Guild of 1406. He himself had taken over the Georgshütte in 1902.
The villa became the home of August Becker’s family. Artistic elements characterised not only the glass production, but also the interior of the building: the walls of the living room were decorated with ornate red and green wooden panelling. The other bright and generous ground floor rooms could be enlarged or separated from each other by sliding doors. The first son, Georg Wilhelm Becker, was born shortly after they moved into their house. Three further children were born until 1917. Else Becker, „wife of the company owner“, announced in August 1918 that she was „looking for a reliable, experienced Fräulein“ to look after her four children. This person should be proficient in sewing and ironing – and being able to play the piano would also be desirable.

Architectural drawings of the villa, unknown date Photo: Archive Glass Museum Boffzen

The villa was the family home for many decades. During the Second World War refugies from the Ruhr region, whose homes had been bombed and destroyed, came and lived there too. After the end of the war, expellees from the former eastern German areas were accommodated in the villa. From 1991 until 2019 the building was the home of the Glass Museum of Boffzen. The house still belongs to the Becker family.

Former Glass Museum Boffzen: The permanent exhibition in 2016 and the special exhibition about Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 2015 Photos: Stefanie Waske