Salamander's Dark Nazi Legacy Exposed in Shocking Historical Research
New research reveals Salamander, once Germany’s largest footwear manufacturer, played a far greater role in Nazi-era exploitation than previously documented. The company profited from forced labour, human experiments, and the forced sale of Jewish-owned shares. Historian Anne Sudrow has now called for the renaming of a school and the revocation of honours linked to its former leader, Ernst Sigle. Between 1933 and 1945, Salamander systematically removed Jewish executives from its leadership. The Rothschild family, among others, were pressured into selling their shares at unfairly low prices. Meanwhile, Ernst Sigle and his relatives expanded their wealth through the so-called 'Aryanization' of Salamander and other businesses.
The firm also operated a repair workshop in Berlin-Kreuzberg during the war. Hundreds of forced labourers—men and women from multiple countries—were made to work there under harsh conditions. Additionally, Salamander became one of the earliest and most persistent corporate users of Sachsenhausen concentration camp’s 'shoe testing track,' where inmates were subjected to brutal experiments. After the war, the Sigle family retained control of most Salamander shares. The original Jewish owners received little to no compensation. The company continued for decades before filing for bankruptcy in 2004. Its assets were later acquired by Swiss manufacturer Astormueller in 2024. Salamander’s legacy includes the children’s shoe brand Lurchi, named after a fire salamander mascot. Today, Lurchi is distributed by Supremo Shoes & Boots, based in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Anne Sudrow’s findings have prompted calls for Ernst-Sigle Gymnasium in Kornwestheim to be renamed. She also recommends stripping Sigle of his posthumous honorary citizenship. The research highlights how Salamander’s wartime actions enabled the Sigle family’s enduring wealth, while victims and displaced owners received minimal justice.
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