Paul Wurth edit
Born 16 January 1863, died 24 April 1945. Was the second child of Léon Wurth(-Macher). Attended the Athénée de Luxembourg 1878-1881, then the cours supérieurs 1881-1882. Spent one year at the école préparatoire for the École Centrale Paris. Attended the latter from 1883 to 1886, qualified as an engineer. Worked for two years at the Dingelsche Maschinenfabrik in Deux-Ponts, and two years at the Chaudronnerie in Hollerich (making steam engines?). In 1891, Wurth became the director of this business, emplyoing 25 men. 8 years later, he had it connected to the railway line.
In 1907, it was turned into a société en commandite par actions, "Paul Wurth & Cie", of which Joseph and Albert-Louis Wurth were also commanditaires.
The business experienced its highs and lows. Among its successes were the construction of the "Charly" bridge between Eich and Dommeldange (1903), demolished in the 1950s; the Schengen bridge (1908-1909), demolished in 1939;
In 1920, Wurth merged his company into a new company, "S.A. des Anciens Etablissements Paul Wurth".
In 1896 the "S.A. des Hauts Fourneaux de Differdange" was founded, with Wurth as its chief executive. At first, this factory only had two blast furnaces. Wurth was responsible for installing the first combustion engine at his factory, the first of its kind in Luxembourg. He also persuaded his board of directors to establish a steelworks and a rolling mill.
It was around this time that Wurth was visitied by Henry Grey, who wanted to sell th erights to roll his famous girders. Wurth soon signed a contract to do so.
Wurth also secured the employment of German engineer Max Meier as director-general (?). The latter engaged in larger projects: the construction of a third blast furnace, a steelworks, a rolling mill, a "blooming".
In March 1899, the Syndicat du Charbon refused to deliver the amounts of coal it had promised. Wurth started talks with the "Zeche Dannenbaum" near Bochum. In June 1899, the two companies agreed to merge, forming the "S.A. des Hauts-Fourneaux, Forges et Charbonnages de Differdange-Dannenbaum". He was the company's first president of the board, which had a capital of 25 million francs.
The rolling mills were completed in April and September 1900, the third blast furnace in December 1900. The first Grey beams were produced in 1901.
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The Prime Minister Émile Reuter (from 1918) entrusted Paul Wurth with various governmental tasks. Wurth was charged with organising the Bureau Économique and was made the representative of Luxembourg at the Comité Interallié Représentatif, which met in Luxembourg and Koblenz.
From April to May 1919, he was sent to Paris along with J. Steichen and Tony Lefort to study means of stablishing an economic union with France.
Wurth played an important role in the Commission d'ètude des problèmes économiques posés par la guerre et l'après-guerre, in which he, Émile Mayrisch and Eugène Ruppert represented the mining and metallurgical industries. He wrote the report for his sub-committee.
After the First World War, Luxembourgish industrialists found themselves somewhat bewildered by the problems of a re-orientation. Wurth had the idea of creating the Fédération des Industriels Luxembourgeois in 1920. He was also its chairman until 1926.
Member of the board of directors of the Luxembourgish Red Cross (1923-1929)
- Croix de chevalier (1909)
- Officier de l'ordre de la couronne de chêne (1938)
- Médaille du Roi Albert
Married in 1889, Marie-Pauline Majerus (1863-1939), daughter of Léon Majerus
Three children:
- Marie-Josephine (Miquette), (1889-1967) m. Norbert Metz (1885-1929)
- Josette (1914-?), m. Pierre Welter
- Paul-Léon Metz, director of ARBED-Belval
- Norbert Metz, commercial department head at Columeta
- Léon
- Edouard
Historian edit
After he retired, Wurth devoted himself enthusiastically to the study of history and genealogy. He was a correspondent of Jules Vannérus. Paul Wurth became a specialist on the streets of Luxembourg city.
From October 1933, Wurth corresponded with professor Tony Kellen, who was acknowledged as an authority on historiography, and who also had pro-German sympathies. Wurth was a member of the Historical Section and of the Linguistic Section of the Institut grand-ducal.
Publications:
"Quelques co-seigneurs de Larochette, a) Les familles Schram, et Heuardt, b) Les barons de Feltz"
"La mort tragique de L.-J.-Fr. baron de Feltz"
"L'Ancien Hôtel de Ville"
"Notes sur quelques rues de la ville de Luxembourg"
"100 Jahre Gas in der Stadt Luxemburg", Ons Hémecht, fascicule I, 1938, with an annex of the biographies of 50 people involved in the gas industry
"L'Hôtel du Gouvernement, Palais de Justice actuel", Ons Hémecht, 1939
"Bisserweg", Jong-hémecht, No. 7-9, 1939