Coat hanger

The inter-war period saw a rapid transformation in both women's and men's fashion, influenced by the completely new mentality and mores of European society. Women's outfits became lighter, airier and significantly shorter than before. Simpler dresses and suits were no longer a large financial investment, which was of great importance in light of the rampant inflation after the war. Changes were also made in the way clothes were produced and sold. Previously, garments were sewn in small tailors' workshops, in single copies. At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, ready-to-wear clothes began to be manufactured and sold en masse in the large department stores that increasingly appeared, including in Szczecin. The production of clothing, especially men's and boys' clothing, became a characteristic industry in the city, valued not only in the local market. Large department stores trading primarily in clothing and underwear were established in Szczecin before the First World War. One of these was the Warenkaufhaus Rudolf Karstadt department store which was part of the all-German chain, opening in 1916. A wooden coat hanger in the collection of the Szczecin History Museum, bearing the inscription KARSTADT STETTIN on its strap, is connected with the activity of this company. The construction of the first of the local buildings, located in Breitestrasse (now Wyszyńskiego Street), and with its form reminiscent of the Hamburg branch, began in 1912 with the demolition of four tenement houses on plots 25-28, located opposite St. Jacob's Church. Between 1923 and 1924, the two neighbouring tenements numbered 23 and 24 were demolished and the company was thus given space to build an additional building. During the Second World War, both buildings were bombed and in their place modern buildings of a residential and commercial nature were erected. Małgorzata Peszko