Julius Fromm - condom pioneerA giant condom placed over a fountain in the town of Konin has sparked a debate about the correct way to commemorate a notable former resident.
In Poland, it is a little known fact that the creator of the seamless latex condom was none other than Julius Fromm, who was born in Konin – then a part of the Russian Empire – in 1883.
On 4 March, the entrepreneur’s birthday, a group of proud local citizens covered the centrepiece of the town’s fountain with a vast transparent bag that was shaped like a condom.
The group, which operates under the name Akcja Konin, believes that the town should acknowledge the legacy of the entrepreneur, and is committed to promoting the locality in novel ways.
However, vice mayor of Konin Dariusz Wilczewski countered that there were more appropriate methods of publicizing the town.
He added that the sense of humour of the group “did not necessarily converge with his own, or with that of the inhabitants of Konin,” he told TVP public television.
Nevertheless, Professor Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz, an expert on sexology, believes that Konin “should be proud” of its place in contraceptive history.
Julius Fromm, who settled in Berlin, patented the seamless latex condom in 1916. Mass production began after the war, and the business was a roaring success. Fromm was soon able to open up branches across Europe.
In 1938, owing to his Jewish background, Fromm was forced to sell the business for a fraction of its worth to Herman Goring’s godmother,Baroness von Epenstein.
The inventor emigrated to England the following year, and he died of a heart attack in 1945. (nh)