It was named after the tobacco-growing area centered around a small town called Genisea located in modern Greece.
Zietz imported tobacco from the Ottoman Empire and manufactured Turkish blend cigarettes in his factories.
As the business grew, Zietz decided to build a new factory.
Back then, Dresden prohibited the construction of factories within the city which can be easily identified as factories.
In other words, the factories had to be disguised.
Hugo Zietz found the oriental style suitable for this purpose.
But when Zietz threatened to pull his business out of the city, the authorities relented.
Photo credit:Michael Kranewitter/Wikimedia
The factory opened two years later.
It was Germany’s first building with a reinforced concrete skeleton.
The large glass dome was covered with glass and the building had six hundred differently designed windows.
The sign was the first neon sign to be produced in Germany.
Salem Aleikum was also the name of a cigarette brand the company manufactured.
The Yenidze Tobacco and Cigarette Factory rose to become the largest manufacturing facility for cigarettes in Germany.
At its peak there were 1,500 workers at the factory rolling butts with their hands.
The working conditions inside the factory as well as its social system was exemplary.
The light-flooded halls were well ventilated, dust-free and every floor featured washing facilities.
On the upper floor, there were a luxuriously equipped canteen and rest areas with canvas chairs.
Whenever the staff wanted, they could relax on the roof terrace during lunch breaks.
Leading image byAlex Drop/Flickr
Photo credit:drakestraw67/Flickr
Photo credit:EyPeeet/Flickr
Photo credit:Jorg Blobelt/Wikimedia
