Body-Content
3. Generation 1873-1942
Ernst Alfred
Klötzli
After his apprenticeship Ernst Alfred Klotzli also travelled through Europe, working for different knifemakers to improve his skills. In 1917 he took over the business from his father. He started the production of cheese triers which are still made today. At the "Bern County Craftsmen Exhibition KABA", held in 1924, he first presented his fruit knives with stainless steel blades to the public, a sensation back then, the knives were awarded a gold medal.
Wedding Klötzli - Fritz
In 1908 Ernst Alfred Klötzli proposes to Marie Fritz in a touching handwritten letter.
„I can assure you that I would count myself very happy, my dearest madame, to return you home as a companion for life. I am sure to have found in you a suitable bride. I can only hope that the status in life, that I humbly dare to offer you appeals to you. I am hoping, through an honest strive forward, not only to gain your respect and trust, but your love, without which no happy marriage can sustain.“
Mühlegasse 6
Marie Klotzli-Fritz, wife of Ernst Alfred Klotzli, in front of the shop around 1923. The curtains behind the shop windows could be drawn to provide privacy for the customers inside.
Career
Compared to his predecessor there are very few written documents about his career and his life. There is a note on his death in the towns chronicles:
„He strode through life straight and upright, with open eyes and a clear gaze. As public servant, in clubs and as president of the Swiss Knife Makers Association – wherever he was put, he was an energetic force for the benefit of the public. We have lost in him a caring, compassionate and characterful person.“
Trade Fair
The exhibition stall at the KABA trade fair in 1924 (trade fair of the Canton of Bern). Stainless steel knives were a novelty and were presented in apples to prove that they really wouldn't rust.