Bergisch Märkische Bank (in German)

Bergisch Märkische Bank, which began operations in Elberfeld, a district of today's Wuppertal, on 1 January 1872 by taking over the banking business of August de Weerth & Co. established in 1861, was, like a large number of banking and industrial companies, a child of the so-called Gründerzeit. The bank was particularly involved in financing the regional textile industry. In the 1890s, the Bergisch Märkische Bank developed from an institution of local importance to one of the leading regional banks, which, thanks to its rapidly expanding branch network, was not only closely connected to the textile and coal and steel industries. In 1897, Bergisch Märkische Bank entered into a syndicate with Deutsche Bank, which culminated in a complete takeover in 1914. As a result of the merger, the Elberfeld head office and all branches of Bergisch Märkische Bank were transferred to Deutsche Bank, which incorporated them into its own branch network. With these 38 new branches, Deutsche Bank had secured its position in Germany's most important industrial area and for the first time had a (regional) presence in its domestic market.