Bronner Haus Museum: My Family’s Story of Restoration & Reconnection

I grew up in Glendale, California, a sleepy suburb bordering Los Angeles’s northern edge. It was a great place to grow up, but rarely hits the eyes of outsiders, sandwiched as it is between the more prominent Burbank (home to Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros) and Pasadena (home to the Rose Parade and Bowl). 

But Glendale was beautiful and quiet and wonderfully diverse, close to the excitement and opportunities of Los Angeles, whose dynamic theaters and concerts forever spoiled me for venues anywhere else. Developed as it was, long before tract housing, Glendale’s houses combine the mishmash of styles that are so delightfully L.A. My own home was a faux English Tudor, with California stucco, a stained-glass window, and later a Spanish tile roof. It somehow worked.  

L.A.-born as I was, I grew up with a skewed sense of age. In Steve Martin’s brilliant 1991 movie L.A. Story, he impressively exclaims to a visiting Brit, “Some of these buildings are over 20 years old!”  

Though I knew he exaggerated – after all my own house was built in 1944 – there’s a kernel of truth in what us Angelinos consider to be old. The house in my area that I thought of as “old” was the Brand Mansion, and that was built in 1901. The city itself was incorporated only in 1906.  

There’s a whole, old world beyond L.A.! 

When I began travelling the world, time and age took on new meaning. For our 20^th, Michael and I traipsed around England and stayed in a former rectory in the Cotswolds that was built in 1763. It wasn’t considered old for the area.  

Relative to much of the world, I grew up in a place of newness. I thought it was significant that both me and my mom were born in the same city, that our roots went back “that far.” Perhaps it was the self-centeredness of youth or self-centeredness of being a modern Californian (likely both) that to me, my family’s story began in 1929. That’s when my grandfather immigrated from Germany. My mom’s family had “always” been here.  

I know absolutely that this is not true. My Aunt Jean, my mom’s older sister, had done extensive documentation of my maternal family tree extending back to the early 1800s. But on my dad’s side of the family, the Bronner side, it all seemed to start (or stop?) with my grandfather, aka Dr. Bronner, and his arrival in the States.  

My grandfather did not talk about his life in Germany. He’d say there wasn’t time to talk about the past in light of the pressing need to unite Spaceship Earth! And while there is truth to the pressing need to bring unity to the world, the more I know of my family background, amidst the richness and relationships, there was also a lot of trauma and pain that likely my grandfather trembled to recall. We knew only the sketchiest of details of his youth and parents. Mostly that they refused to leave Germany during the rise of Nazism, and both perished in concentration camps. That of course was in the 1930s and 40s, respectively, after he was already States-side.  

I have deeply felt the lack of family stories on my dad’s side. Who were these people I descended from? What motivated them? What were their personalities? This lack is something that isn’t immediately noticed in a family fractured by war and trauma. Survival is a higher priority. No one in my extensive extended paternal family survived the Holocaust in Germany. They either fled or were killed. The stories scattered with them. Further adding to the fracture, my dad and his siblings grew up in foster homes, without opportunity for hearing of the past. There’s an interview with my dad where he says he’s a ninth generation soapmaker. He wasn’t. He was a fourth generation soapmaker. Even he didn’t know the stories.  

Restoring and reconnecting 

Much of what I now know of my family’s background we’ve learned in the last couple decades through research and investigations, several incredible synchronicities, and the assistance of many wonderful people who are not related to us. The story of my family’s trauma during the second world war I have told elsewhere and informed my grandfather’s messaging on our Castile Soap’s label, but here, I am overjoyed to share with you the recent developments of how we have restored some of what was destroyed and reconnected with parts of our family who were separated.  

“I own your family’s house” 

Last month, in May 2024, we celebrated a milestone in this journey back to our roots: we dedicated the restoration of our family’s home in Laupheim, Germany where our family first made soap in 1858. This is the house where my grandfather’s grandfather set up shop, five generations back from me, with a soap boiler in his basement and his family of 11 living in the floors above. We were the Heilbronner’s then, though my grandfather dropped that first syllable when he immigrated to the U.S. because of its association with Hitler. 

The oldest of the 11 children, Pauline, along with her husband, continued making soap there, eventually passing it on to their son Alfred. However, the 1938 Decree for the Exclusion of Jews from Economic Life forced the sale of the property to an acceptable Aryan owner. 

This house came back to our family in 2017, when my brother Mike Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner’s, was invited to speak to the historical society in the town of Laupheim. The society was eager to hear what became of a family with Laupheim roots that had (eventually) thrived in America. We Bronners are not the most famous emigrants to claim Laupheim roots. That moniker belongs to Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Pictures. Nonetheless, we’ve also done well amidst our soap suds. 

After his talk, a woman in the audience approached him and said, “I own your family’s house.” She had bought it with the intent to sell it to developers who were going to pull it down and build condos. But once she heard our family’s story, she wanted to forego the investment opportunity and offered to sell it to my brothers, Mike and David, for the price she paid for it.  

My brothers accepted the offer, while knowing the house would need extensive renovations before it could be put to any new use: 

• The ceilings, which had been barely 6 feet, were raised over 2 meters, increasing the total height of the structure by nearly 7 feet. 

• While the foundation walls and slab floor were kept, the rest of the walls needed to be rebuilt. A part of the original brickwork remains visible in the basement. 

• Needless to say, the house needed to be brought up to current building codes, especially when it came to insulation and plumbing. 

• The project received two grants: one urban development grant from the City of Laupheim since the house is in the historic Judenberg district and the other was a federal subsidy for energy efficiency upgrades. 

• A glass bubble structure was added to create more space and a beautiful interior “winter garden,” as you’ll see below. 

From planning to execution, this took over five years, which brings us to our dedication last month. The house will now be used as a residence for adults with special needs, with the basement housing a museum of the Bronner family, including an interactive giant soap bottle that controls a series of 6 videos we all contributed to.  

My brother David Bronner, Cosmic Engagement Officer for Dr. Bronner’s, shared his own reflections of these events in his own beautiful article that also explores our connection and resonance with the current struggles in the Holy Lands. 

My return to Laupheim for the dedication of the Bronner Haus

Walking on the stones my grandfather’s grandparents trod, standing between the walls that sheltered them, gazing upon the view of the town they saw, reflecting on the very memorials they knew in the cemetery up the hill, I have felt their stories seep into my soul and come alive in my imagination. 

Our visit in May 2024 proved to be an amazing week in Laupheim with the extended Bronner family gathering from far and wide. I met several cousins for the first time, grandchildren of my Tante Lotte (my great aunt) who fled Germany to Palestine in 1936.   

The newly restored upper floors of the house have become the “Wohngemeinschaft Emanuel,” which roughly translates to “Shared Home Emanuel,” a residence for adults with special needs operated by the St. Elisabeth Foundation. We celebrated with the residents who had just moved in, as well as with many Laupheimers who came to join the festivities and wish us well. Such a warm and effusive welcome we received. 

The newly restored Bronner Haus in Laupheim 

Although the building is two meters taller, it maintains the ethos of the original and still resonates with the buildings around it. The architects from Teamwerk Architekten in Munich did an amazing job of learning the story of this house and our family and incorporating this into the design.

Officially re-opening the (Heil)Bronner house at Judenberg 2

My brothers and I are deeply glad to be able to return this house to usefulness and beauty in the historic Judenberg of Laupheim. And check out that espaliered apple tree! 

The bubble structure creates a beautiful interior 

I love the outside-meets-inside nature created by the bubble structure, which filled in a notch in the footprint of the house layout. The glass “bubble” structure points to our soapmaking legacy. Here is the view from the inside kitchen, dining, and common area, where we gladly enjoyed cake and coffee to dedicate the kitchen. This is where the residents of the house gather for dinner and relaxation.

Cutting the ribbon to the Bronner Museum 

My brothers, mom, and I were joined by Managing Director of Dr. Bronner’s Germany Dr. Anke Buhl, who orchestrated this entire project, to cut the ribbon in front of the entrance to the museum in the basement. David never hesitates to find his own angle for doing things!

The Laupheim marching band rounds out the celebration

This festive civic group came to commemorate the occasion and joined us in our celebration. I love that Laupheim has a town marching band made up of people of all ages and occupations. 

The Bronner Museum fills the basement

The only open-to-the public Bronner Museum now lives in the basement of this house. It is organized by generations. Anke Buhl and Micha Schick tirelessly tracked down the elements for this exhibit and design firm, lahaye tiedemann gestalten, from nearby Ulm, Germany designed the displays. I was only on consult for the historical side of this, but I gained a massive appreciation for archivists and genealogists and what they do. I would not have the patience or detail-orientation to do this full-time! I am very grateful for their work here. 

A 100-year-old bar of soap 

This bar of soap was produced by the second generation of soap makers, which included my great-grandfather Berthold and his brothers, who set up operations in Heilbronn. They ran a very successful company “Madaform,” a play on the English “made of foam.” 

Generation 3: A time of upheaval 

The third generation’s collage includes a projection of a haunting poem reflecting on the tragic deaths of her parents by my great aunt Luise Bronner, pictured, an accomplished poet and professor at University of Massachusetts Boston. One of these days, my Tante Luise will get an article all to herself. Her life was one of strength, independence, passion, and courage, and I want to explore and share it more fully. 

The beginnings of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps 

Now things start to look familiar! Celebrating the early days of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, this section includes drafts with handwritten edits of my grandfather’s early labels and letters he received from grateful customers. 

And Sadie, too! 

My puppy Sadie will be thrilled to know she made it into the collection of photos representing the current generation of the family! Her joining me for these early pics with my book was completely impromptu. Who knew our little rescue pup would greet so many visitors in Germany? 

A giant touchscreen bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap 

A second room of the museum is anchored by this 4’ tall recreation of a Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap bottle – with a German label, of course! If you’ve ever found the text on the bottle in your shower to be a bit too small, you might prefer this one! The bottle also serves as a touch screen to activate six mini-documentary videos. 

Honoring the memory of our ancestors 

Just up the hill is the Jewish cemetery, where many of our family ancestors lie, including Emanuel Heilbronner, the original soapmaker. Our family is profoundly appreciative of the great amount of time and care Laupheim resident Michael Schick has volunteered to restore hundreds of these gravestones and maintain the cemetery. 

Sharing our story with the people of Laupheim and beyond 

My brothers and I gave two presentations and answered questions, first with people who had been part of this project or touched by our family’s story in some way and second with any of the public who were interested. I was so moved to meet face to face, people whom I had only heard of: Michaela Bergman who offered us the house, the Frank family who owns our former factory in Heilbronn, staff from the Luise Bronner Realschule in Heilbronn, and Marlis Glaser who painted a remarkable portrait of my Tante Luise. 

The All-One call to unity lights the way 

The All-One! constellation was lit for the first time at a special evening ceremony to remind all of our foundational message. The previous owner of the house Michaela Bergman and her family stand with us beneath the All-One constellation that gently lights the side wall of the house, reminding all who pass by that unity and restoration are possible.  

My favorite view 

This side view of the house shows the connection the architects made, tying its 200+ year old legacy to our family today. The old meets the new as the glass bubble structure and All-One constellation blend with the original walls. May all who enter this building, whether to visit or live, be blessed within its walls. 

There are more family stories to discover 

I would love to say that this journey has taken my family full circle, but it hasn’t fully. Not even 1858 is the beginning of our story. There is still more to unearth, more individuals to learn about, more ways in which our family intersected with historical events. But we’ve made progress. 

It’s been a treasure hunt. A massive puzzle. Filling in holes in our understanding. Following threads. Finding connections. It has been both fun and frustrating. Rewarding, with moments of breakthrough, but also running into lots of dead ends. Questions remain. Sigmund Heilbronner, where are your descendants? Where can we find a picture of you? Sigmund was the third brother who partnered with my great-grandfather Berthold and their brother Karl to found the second generation of soapmaking in Heilbronn, a far bigger operation than Laupheim. He passed away of natural causes in 1939, and his widow perished with my great grandfather in Theresienstadt, but I know one of his daughters fled to America. We have yet to connect. 

What has all this brought us? For me, it has brought a sense of grounding, especially as I contemplate the massive upheaval my family experienced in the 1940s. Huge as it was, it was only a part of our story. This process has brought me an example of resilience, expanded my understanding of what is survivable. If my family didn’t “give up” in light of what it faced, the bar is set high for what I can endure.  

I think my grandfather and his two sisters—my great aunts Tante Luise and Lotte—would be gratified to know about the restoration and reconnections. At various times after the war, they each travelled back to Germany to rebuild bridges. My Tante Luise in particular invested her time and money deeply in the schoolchildren of Heilbronn to foster cross-cultural understanding and communication. This message is reflected in the writings my grandfather included on his soap label, too.  

Inside each family is a drama to be told, full of joy and sorrow, tension and celebration, ordinary and extraordinary circumstances, overflowing with character types from heroes to rogues to a jester or two. Family lineage shows us that we are each part of something much bigger than ourselves. I would love to hear your stories of how exploring your family’s roots has added to your own sense of place and purpose in this world. 

Next time you’re in Germany 

If you find yourself near Laupheim, an hour-ish west of Munich, consider arranging a visit to the museum. You can make an appointment by emailing museum@drbronner.de.

Further Reading

• The Five Soapmaking Locations of Bronner Family Soaps
• How The Label Was Born
• Reflections on Dr. Bronner’s 6 Cosmic Principles & How They Came About