Hoechst AG

Hoechst AG - until 1974: Farbwerke Hoechst AG, vorm. Meister Lucius & Brüning - in Frankfurt am Main was one of the three largest chemical and pharmaceutical companies in Germany. It was founded in 1863 in Höchst am Main, then in Nassau, Germany, merged with other companies in 1925 to form I.G. Farbenindustrie AG, and was re-established in 1951 after I.G. Farben was divided into 11 different companies. By the end of the 1980s, the group had reached its largest expansion with over 170,000 employees, annual sales of 46 billion DM, and profits of over four billion DM. In 1994, the reorientation and reorganization of Hoechst AG began. The former parent plant became Industriepark Höchst in 1997. After being transferred to a holding company, Hoechst AG merged with Rhône-Poulenc in 1999 to form Aventis S.A., based in Strasbourg and spun off the remaining chemical activities in Celanese AG. Hoechst AG remained listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as the German intermediate holding company until the end of December 2004. Following the merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo to form Sanofi-Aventis in 2004, the Hoechst name finally disappeared from public view. The company logo “Turm und Brücke” (Tower and Bridge), a stylized version of the Behrens building, a listed building, was a well-known trademark for many years and served e.g. as an advertising sign at numerous pharmacies.