Adolf Müller (1857–1932) was a renowned Croatian industrialist, manufacturer and entrepreneur.

Background and family

Müller was born in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

to a poor

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family with many children. Due to lack of money, when he completed the elementary school, Müller was educated for

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

and carpentry craft. At 25, Müller married Fanika Müller ( née Mülhofer), from

Krapina Krapina (; hu, Korpona) is a town in northern Croatia and the administrative centre of Krapina-Zagorje County with a population of 4,482 (2011) and a total municipality population of 12,480 (2011). Krapina is located in the hilly Zagorje regi ...

. Together they had two sons,

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

and Leo who were both killed during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

Business career

Josipdol Josipdol is a village and municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. It is part of Lika region. Geography Josipdol is situated in the Ogulin-Plaški valley which together with Lika and Gorski Kotar forms Mountainous Croatia. The town is locat ...

, near

Ogulin Ogulin () is a town in north-western Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the ...

, Müller opened a grocery store and a restaurant. Soon after he bought the store "Zlatni zvon" in Zagreb. Müller was extremely entrepreneurial and motivated, and that store in a short time become one of the best in town. Müller ran his shop for 25 years, later also trading in coal and brick. Müller established a brick factory in Zagreb, and a

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...

near Karlovac. He also owned several brickyards in Kustošija, Zagreb.

Cultural activity

Müller invested his earnings and capital in the Zagreb culture. Around 1913 he financed the construction of "Helios" cinema (now

Gavella Drama Theatre Gavella Drama Theatre ( hr, Gradsko dramsko kazalište Gavella) is a Croatian theatre which is situated in Zagreb, in Frankopanska Street. The theatre opened on October 30, 1954 as the successor of "Helios" cinema which was founded and financed by ...

). He merged cinemas "Helios", "Apollo", "Union" and film institute "Urania" into one company. In 1919, Müller purchased a residential-commercial complex in Varšavska and Masarykova Street. There, in 1924, Müller financed the construction of "Balkan" cinema (now called "Europa"), under architect Srećko Florschütz.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Adolf 1857 births 1932 deaths Businesspeople from Zagreb Croatian Jews Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery