Zeiss Stuttgart factory pics today

[robertofollia]

Well, it's not camera repair but.. Always wanted to know if "contessa-Nettel-werk" was still standing. And, as lightning struck. I had to go to Germany and on my way back I could stop in Stuttgart for some hours.
Instead of going to Porsche or Mercedes' Museums preferred to try to find the former Zeiss plant instead. The factory was in Schreiberstrasse,31. There is a tram stop nearby (less than 300 metres away, approx 10 minute ride from central railway station). And here's how it looks today. Building is still standing!
1st pic was taken with my Contina I rebuilt last year, 2nd with my Zenit featuring my Contina.

You'll notice a light leak in 1st pic because my Contina tried to kill herself, working itself loose from the never-ready case and falling on the granite pavement . The back opened and only that picture could be saved (had taken more)
Just wanted to share with you. Building is exactly as it was in 1922 (in the 50's it was written contessa-nettel-werk on the façade) but except for the windows, nothing has been touched outside
Here there is the link to a pic taken in the 1950s.

The Zeiss Ikon Contessa factory on the corner of Böheimstrasse and...

The Zeiss Ikon Contessa factory on the corner of Böheimstrasse and Schreiberstrasse in Stuttgart, Germany, circa 1955. Zeiss Ikon produced the Contessa camera between 1950 and 1955, and again in the...

www.gettyimages.ae

The rest of the pics were lost due to fogging when my Contina fell.
But my Contina is alive and well. The meter went FUBAR because the hairspring twisted and mangled, but managed to dismantle the meter and take it to the local watchmaker, who managed to straighten the coils a bit and it's back to normal operation.
Had a wartime ContaxII with me but wasn't used then as it came from the ICA factory in Dresden, still standing as "Penta Park"
Hope you like it
Best regards

 

[KoNickon]

What is the building used for today, do you know?

 

[Muggins]

A great project! One day I intend to photograph the Ernemann tower with a camera bearing its likeness, and take a photo of the River Werra with a Werra... one day!

 

[robertofollia]

Hi all,a
Six months later I managed to go back to Stuttgart, this time with another Contina (j)

The site is huge. Many of the post war buildings have been turned into residential units. The old factory building houses and architercture bureau, there is a pet clinic, and many other businesses.

 

[robertofollia]

This is the inner courtyard

 

[robertofollia]

Postwar buildings, now residential units

 

[robertofollia]

And me in the entrance of one of them
All shot in Vision3 250D exposed 125asa/22din, this time with a Contina J
It's difficult to imagine how powerful this Factory was in the 50's-60's at full blast, producing high quality photo equipment when today they are silent witnesses of a gone era.
I would have liked to visit the premises in 1956 as per the Zeiss Historica article, but only managed almost 70 yrs later. In the heyday It should have been impressive,huge,amazing.
Best regards

 

[Muggins]

Good to see it's survived - here in the UK, it would long since have been pulled down and redeveloped! Not so sure I needed to know it still existed, though, I already feel the need to go back to Dresden with a camera with the Ernemann Tower on and take a photo of that, so knowing there are more places like that...

 

[1936ContaxII]

I am sure you will take a better picture in there than I did during one of my last visits in Dresden... (sorry for the picture's quality 🫣 - but I had to hurry up to get my tram)

Had a wartime ContaxII with me but wasn't used then as it came from the ICA factory in Dresden, still standing as "Penta Park"

Here it is 😉 , seen from the tram stop "Altenberger Strasse" in Dresden-Striesen, just a few hundred metres from the Ernemann Tower: