Georg Kropp

Georg Kropp (1 December 1865 – 21 January 1943) was a German journalist and polymath. In 1921, with Mathilde Planck, he co-founded the Gemeinschaft der Freunde (GdF) (literally: "Society of friends") which a few years later became recognised as Germany's first mutual building society, the Wüstenrot Bausparkasse.

Life Provenance and early years Georg Kropp was born in Swinemünde on the Pomeranian north coast. During 1887/88 he spent two semesters as a student at the German Drugist Academy ("Deutsche Drogisten-Akademie") in Braunschweig. He emerged in 1888 with an exceptionally high grade.

Society of friends From 1919 Kropp was living in Wüstenrot, just outside Heilbronn. In 1920 he published his book "Aus Armut zum Wohlstand" ("From Poverty to Prosperity") in which he first set down his proposals for a form of savings institution to support house building. On 22 July 1921 the founding meeting of the Wüstenrot Gemeinschaft der Freunde (GdF) (literally: "Wüstenrot Society of friends") took place, and the institution was registered at Heilbronn on 17 August 1921. Founder members included Mathilde Planck the first woman to serve in the regional parliament ("Landtag") of Württemberg, and Robert Ankele, the Württemberg postmaster. It is not known how Kropp and Planck had first met: there is speculation that they knew each other because of a shared commitment to alcohol abstinence.

By the time of the 1924 relaunch Goerg Kropp was nearly 60. He worked as editor-in-chief of the house journal "Mein Eigen Heim" and as CEO ("Geschäftsführer") of the GdF. In 1925 he took a step back, resigning his post as CEO and accepting appointment as chair of the supervisory board ("Aufsichtsrat"). In 1930 he opposed the relocation of the head office location from Wüstenrot to Ludwigsburg (just outside Stuttgart) but he was outvoted and resigned his remaining offices with the GdF.

Resignation and final years In his hometown of Wüstenrot he now founded a "Neue Bausparkasse", but this was not a success and had to be liquidated in 1934. Nevertheless, on 1 December 1930 the municipality celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday with an award of honorary citizenship.

Georg Kropp died in Wüstenrot in 1943. He is buried in a place of honour in the local cemetery. His life and work motto is inscribed on a stone tablet: "Wille, Sparen, Gottvertrauen werden Vaterhäuser bauen" (loosely, "Determination, saving and trust in God will build houses for families").