Hilary Landsberg


Hilary Landsberg was a cloth manufacturer in Tomaszów Mazowiecki.

Family

Born in Warsaw in a Jewish family of Sephardi origin, Landsberg was descended from Salomon Calahorra, the royal physician of two kings of Poland: Sigismund II Augustus and Stephen Báthory. Hilel was the son of Mendel Lewkowicz Landsberg, a tradesman in Warsaw, and Lea née Lewek. He was a founder of the Tomaszow branch of the Landsbergs. His younger brothers Abram Lajb vel Alexander Landsberg and Leopold vel Liber Landsberg were owners of factories in Tomaszów Mazowiecki and Łódź, respectively.
Hilary Landsberg married Hana Mendelsburg and had two sons Alexander (Abram Lajb) and Felix (Fishel), and six daughters.

Industrial activity

In 1857, Landsberg started a small cloth-manufacturing business in Tomaszów Mazowiecki with ten hand-looms. Step by step he modernized the means of production. In 1881–1883 he constructed a large textile factory in the town, introducing steam power. In 1894 he built a finish-work factory and a wool warehouse. In 1896, he electrified his factory. Landsberg employed more than 300 workers in the factory.