A living heritage
For more than 130 years, the wallpaper manufactory Hembus has stood for an exceptional interplay of artistic vision, master craftsmanship and a commitment to preserving cultural heritage. What began in 1894 in Kronberg quickly developed into one of the most renowned addresses for sophisticated wall design.
Jacob Hembus
Jacob Hembus, court decorative painter and restorer working on behalf of Empress Victoria, played a decisive role in shaping the early history of the company. His restorations – including the uncovering of the Kümmernis image in the castle chapel of Burg Kronberg – brought him recognition far beyond the region.
Julius Hembus
Together with his sons Paul and Julius, the next generation stepped forward to continue this legacy. Julius Hembus, in particular, shaped the character of the manufactory. His artistic background and close connection to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner fostered a spirit that inseparably combines artistic sensibility with technical precision.
Über siebzig Jahren im Einsatz
In the 1950s, the legendary screen-printing machine “Julius” was created as a technical masterpiece of its own – engineered by aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt to faithfully reconstruct thewallpapers of Frankfurt’s Goethe House, which had been destroyed during the war. To this day, this machine remains the beating heart of the manufactory.
Restart
In 1936, Julius Hembus returned to Kronberg after 12 years, married again and now successfully continued his father's business. Until then, his brother Paul Hembus, who has since died, had been in charge. In the post-war period, the Hembus company flourished: among other things, it was involved in many church restorations in the Rhine-Main area.
Contemporary at heart
Julius Hembus ran the company until his death in 1983. For his special cultural achievements, the city of Kronberg im Taunus awarded him honorary citizenship, and the city of Frankfurt am Main awarded him the city's plaque of honor and the Golden Dürer plaque of the German Painting Craft. Until December 31, 1999, the company was managed by his nephew Hans Hembus.
Welcome in the family
After Steuernagel & Lampert, itself a family business with 75 years of company history, entered the market with three of its own premium brands since 2015, two forces that seemed to be made for each other came together at the beginning of 2023:
The traditional Hembus wallpaper manufacturer fits perfectly into the Steula family. Jörg Held and his team were immediately impressed by the high quality of the products and the hand-crafted screen printing. Added to this was the fortunate fact that a Steula employee had worked in the Frankfurt Hembus factory until a few years ago and knew the machine and its special features inside out. The enthusiastic approval of the takeover made it clear:
Steula continues the tradition of the Hembus wallpaper manufacturer.
New place of work
In mid-2023, “Julius” moved to the beautiful Odenwald, including the exposure table, stocks and all the necessary inventory. The literal change of scenery from a Frankfurt industrial district to the tranquil old town center of Groß-Bieberau did the manufactory a lot of good. The new place of work is a historic riding school and offers all the space for new visions with flair and ambience.
Continuation
After taking over and moving “Julius”, we are by no means starting from scratch. Sabine Ochs, who has been primarily responsible for wallpaper printing at Hembus for the last 47 years, is now part of our team. Your contribution is invaluable, both in the planning phase to ensure “Julius” can reach its full potential and in building a qualified team. In the future, this team will continue to focus on producing wallpapers and wall coverings of exceptional quality.
innovation
As a member of the Steula family, the Hembus factory can and will shine in new splendor. Completely overhauled, energetically improved and with a breath of fresh air and passion, the manufactory will feel just as at home in the areas of reconstructing historical wallpapers as it does in modern art, where design templates can be transformed by artists into unique wall coverings.