»Based loosely on Wagner, ›Daring heroes take on new deeds‹. And so begins a great new era in the company’s history…«
Wilhelm Conzen, activity report 1888-1917

The notion of home can be a place and language, as well as spoken and unspoken conventions. In 1668, Darmstadt is none of the above for Friedrich Jacob Merck. He is originally from Schweinfurt in Franconia. Initially, in the southern Hessian city of Darmstadt, he no doubt has difficulties with the language. High German is far from the norm.

At this time, his professional home is the second town pharmacy. The central location on the market square belongs to the competition. Darmstadt, today a well-established part of a metropolitan region, was the seat of a small principality with grand economic ambitions around 350 years ago. Friedrich Jacob sees this as an opportunity.

In 1836, the old location of the pharmacy is too small. Emanuel Merck, a pharmacist from the sixth generation of the family, moves to the present-day Luisenplatz. His scientific and business prowess form the basis for the company’s growth. The city, too, is experiencing an upswing. A large-scale western expansion is to form the pillar for the dynamic development. The plans for the project come from Georg Moller, an architect and a Merck family relative.

Almost coinciding with the relocation of the pharmacy, the industrial development of the company begins. In the process, the family properties are gradually built up and expanded on the eastern edge of the city. Some of the functions, along with the pharmacy, remain in the city center; these include the commercial and shipping departments, as well as the quality control laboratory. This leads to a lively stream of commuters. At the end of the century, growth is no longer possible. There is a lack of space, transport connections and much more.

In 1904, a site three times the size of the former property is acquired in the north of the city. To some, the location »half an hour from the city center« seems isolated. With a direct rail connection and regional road network, traffic problems are a thing of the past. A nearby water catchment area in the north-west solves a further infrastructure problem. In short, a modern headquarters for a global company with around 1,000 employees is built.

Friedrich Pützer, a young and renowned architect, is tasked with the aesthetic aspects. He designs the buildings around the main factory entrance as well as the housing estate at the northwest border of the site premises. As the success of the company grows, so does its self-confidence, something that is visibly reflected in the architecture.

At this point, company products have been exported from Darmstadt to the world for more than 80 years. At the turn of the 19th century, documentable business contacts with European neighbors exist.

 

In the 1870s, the back of the Engel-Apotheke bustles with activity. The boxes stacked on the upper floor show that E. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, the shipping of company products around the world starts here. At the turn of the 20th century, the Engel-Apotheke is also given a new, state-of-the-art home, just a few meters from the old premises.

A high level of manual labor is involved on the factory premises in the eastern part of the city. Rope winches make the work easier for the employees. On the ground floor of the building, bismuth is produced. A walk through the surrounding greenery leads to the scientific department. Due to rising production, expanding the company’s energy supply becomes increasingly important.

In 1904, the narrow confinement on Frankfurter Straße is a thing of the past. Among architect Friedrich Pützer’s projects is the outer shell of the new premises. After 25 years, some of his buildings are completed. Science is given a larger, more modern home, which lays the foundations for the company’s successes around the world.