History
Since 2000, the Rhein Group has been continuing a centuries-old family tradition that has its roots in Transylvania.
Rhein Group (Deutschland) GmbH was founded in 2000 by Philip Nitzsche.
The name Rhein is associated with a long tradition of German entrepreneurship in Transylvania-Saxony (Romania). The widely ramified family was regarded in Kronstadt (now Brasov) and beyond as capable and successful entrepreneurs with social principles. Among other things, textile and paper factories, a beer and liqueur factory and a sparkling wine cellar were operated. One of the most important members of the family was Wilhelm August Rhein (1847-1923), Philip Nitzsche’s great-great-grandfather.
Kronstadt was founded by knights of the Teutonic Order at the beginning of the 13th century as the most south-eastern German town in Transylvania. The city subsequently became one of the German centers of Transylvania, alongside Hermannstadt (today Sibiu). Kronstadt initially belonged to the Kingdom of Austria-Hungary until the Romanian annexation in 1920. Charles, from the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, became king and needed the help of German entrepreneurs to quickly build up the country. He campaigned for their settlement in the Prahova Valley so that a sustainable industry could be established. The Rhein family responded to this call, considering the location, with direct access to the mountain waters of the Carpathians, to be ideal. This is where the foundations of their entrepreneurial success were laid.
Wilhelm August Rhein initially founded a cloth factory in Azuga. After the First World War, he sold the majority of his shares and invested in the companies of his sons Demeter (Philip Nitzsche’s great-grandfather) and Theodor Rhein. One of them ran the Wilhelm Tellmann S.A. cloth factory in Kronstadt, the other ran the Bere Azuga S.A. brewery. Wilhelm’s brother, Daniel Rhein, founded the well-known Rhein&Cie.Azuga S.A. sparkling wine cellar in Azuga, which still exists today, as well as the Veritas liqueur factory in Kronstadt.
The brothers Karl and Samuel Schiel, long-time friends of Wilhelm August Rhein, also responded to King Karl’s call and founded the Fratii Schiel S.A. paper factory in Busteni, among other things. The Schiel paper mill grew rapidly during this period and operated the most modern facilities in Romania until the beginning of the 20th century. the largest paper machine in Europe was running there. The business was run by Hermann von Larcher from the Rheins line, then Fritz Schiel, who married Wilhelm’s daughter. This led to close family and also very successful business ties between the Rhein and Schiel families in Transylvania-Saxony.
The consequences of the Second World War destroyed not only the business but also the livelihood of the Schiel and Rhein families in Transylvania. A large number of them fled to Germany, including Bremen and Hamburg. The expropriations by the Romanian state were the sad end of the very successful entrepreneurship of these families in the Prahova Valley for generations.
Generations later, Philip Nitzsche searched for the family’s roots in Transylvania and started restitution cases against the Romanian state in 2000. These finally led to the restitution of unlawfully expropriated properties in 2008.
With the founding spirit of his ancestors in his blood, Philip Nitzsche gradually began to build up a network in Eastern Europe and Asia in order to initiate investment projects, which the Rhein Group manages from Germany.
