10

Curls and steps

In 1880, at the age of 26, the hairdresser Franz Ströher from Oberwiesenthal founded his company. Its products were soon found in every hairdresser’s shop. An invention from 1900, a waterproof hair tulle – a kind of whig – was the first moneymaker for the emerging brand Wella. Erika, the founder’ granddaughter, was less enthusiastic about hair – she became a passionat collector of minerals and gathered more than 90 000 crystal samples. She gave her collection amassed over six decades to the city of Freiberg on permanent loan; it is on display at Freundenstein Castle.
Erika Pohl-Ströter, who died in 2016, was among the most important patrons in contemporary Germany.