Wilhelm Rettig and VS

Black and white photograph of Wilhelm Rettig, the inventor of the famous Rettig school bench.

Wilhelm Rettig Once from the very beginning with our 1st design partner

May we introduce. Our 1st design partner: Wilhelm Rettig. The German architect designed our first piece of furniture before we were founded in 1895 - the "Rettig bench". This type of school bench is one of the most successful in German classrooms. Learn more about the pioneer Wilhelm Rettig and his impressive career.

Who is Wilhelm Rettig?

The architect was born in Heidelberg in 1845 and studied in Karlsruhe from 1861 to 1865. After his studies, he went to Paris in 1867 with an official commission and then returned to his native city to carry out several buildings until 1871. After a short stay in France, the next few years took Wilhelm Rettig all over Germany. There he took over the planning and design of many architectural works.

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1872 - Berlin 0.1

Wilhelm Rettig works in the Ende & Böckmann studio, which is one of the most renowned offices at the time and designed many impressive villas.

1873 - Mannheim

The architect becomes an independent director of the Rheinische Baugesellschaft.

1874 - Berlin 0.2

Back in what is now the capital of Germany, he devotes himself to boat building in Berlin.

1890 - Dresden

Wilhelm Rettig becomes city architect of the beautiful city of Dresden.

1896 - Berlin 0.3

Once again Wilhelm Rettig returns to Berlin and is co-owner of the company P. Johs. Müller & Co.

Although Wilhelm Rettig was always drawn back to Berlin, there was another city that played an important role in his life: Munich. Here he gave important impulses to which we owe the cityscape of Munich that we all know. But his ideas were sometimes too controversial. The Munich City Council was therefore happy to bid farewell to Wilhelm Rettig at the end of his contract, and he returned once again to Berlin. There he remained until his last breath, dying on August 2, 1920 at the age of 75.

What is Wilhelm Rettig known for?

Wilhelm Rettig not only designed buildings, but was also responsible for supervising their construction. Thus, at the end of the 19th century, some remarkable buildings were created under his watchful eye, unfortunately not all of which survived the world wars. Wilhelm Rettig also excelled as an urban planner and inventor, whose innovations were not celebrated by all his contemporaries.

1875

Heavenly neo-Gothic

The Garrison Church in Metz is built in over 6 years as the pride of a Franco-German city. The church survives the war, but the building burns down in 1946. Today, the still preserved bell tower bears witness to the majestic splendor under Wilhelm Rettig's direction.

Sweeping invention

A moving roadway that city dwellers can jump on while walking? Revolutionary! The platforms, arranged like steps, travel at different speeds, allowing passersby to climb over the first and slowest step. Test systems of the step track, which he conceived together with his brother Heinrich, are shown at the World's Fairs in Chicago (1983) and Paris (1900).

1890

Sweeping invention

1891

Starvation style baroque

Wilhelm Rettig's design of the market hall on Antonplatz evokes many critics. Due to the unadorned facade, the term "starvation style" was coined. Objectively, from today's perspective, we probably wouldn't say that - there were sculptural ornaments and more. But in contrast to the splendid baroque, the simple form shocks at the time. During the 2nd World War, the market hall was severely damaged, which is why it was finally demolished in 1951.

The "Rettig bench": No couch potato

The avid rower was always active, and not just in his mind. As an active athlete, he knew the challenges people face when sitting. To counteract this, he devoted himself not only to urban planning and construction projects, but also to seating furniture in a wide variety of areas. Whether for his favorite sport - rowing - for airships or for our core area: the school. Wilhelm Rettig's school bench is characterized by a slight overlap of the tabletop and the seat. What does this mean? The so-called minus distance allows the classroom to be used effectively. In contrast to today, classes were very large back then, and so the class density could be ideally exploited.

The Rettig bench, the classic school bench from around 1900

Black and white image of a classroom around 1900 with Rettig benches

Close-up of the metal sign on a Rettig bench with details of the patent and size

Closely connected: The history of the "Rettig bench" and VS

Wilhelm Rettig manufactured the "Rettig School Bench" in 1895. With it, as an employee of P. Johs. Müller & Co, he created the most successful German school bench. The company merged with 3 other school furniture manufacturers in 1898: The company "Vereinigte Schulbankfabriken", or VS for short, was formed. Our name was inspired by Wilhelm Rettig's furniture. But this was only the beginning: To cover more products and to do justice to our growing portfolio, we soon renamed ourselves "Vereinigte Schulmöbelfabriken". Starting from the classroom, we expanded the product range more and more in other educational and working areas. Adapted to this, since the end of the 1970s we have borne the name of today: "Vereinigte Spezialmöbelfabriken". Whether school furniture, desks for the office or for the general workspace - we are the complete supplier for the area of education and living space.

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Stefan Behnisch

Aesthetic, functional, yet uncompromisingly sustainable: the name of architect Stefan Behnisch is a byword for architecture that conserves resources and makes people feel comfortable. What is less well-known is the fact that he has also created furniture systems that are so timelessly appealing and flexible that they last for decades - whether in the German Bundestag or on the other side of the Atlantic.