In 1564, Gili Köhl was mentioned for the first time with the job title Weissgerber. His son, Gili Köhl, was also a tanner like his father. According to a sales contract of 1620[10], the family owned a plot of land with a house in the sand, next to a Palliermüli (flour mill) and on the mill stream.
From 1700 Köhl Anton (1678-†1748) is mentioned as a tanner with Gärbi. However, he comes from the family of the mayor Bernhard von Köhl.
In 1719 the "Köhl'sche Gerbe auf dem Sand" is mentioned in writing[52], so it seems to have been owned by the Köhls at that time as well. It is unclear where this tannery was located.
In June 1762, the Plessur broke through its riverbed after heavy downpours and washed away houses, stables, bridges from the Sand quarter to the mouth into the Rhine. The brickworks, the customs house, the Obertor bridge and two tanneries, including the Köhlsche Gerbe, were destroyed. It could be that the tannery was destroyed in the sand and then rebuilt at the brickworks.
After that Antoni Köhl (1744-†1800), son of blacksmith Peter Köhl, is listed as a master tanner and owner of the Köhlsche Gerbe. At the end of the 18th century he sold large shares in the tannery at Gerbergässli 2/4 (Today street behind the brook), where the tannery was located.[53][54]
The business was thus probably run by Köhls for many generations, probably for over 200 years.
His son, master tanner Anton Köhl, worked as a tanner in the tannery, as did his son, Isaak Köhl-Killias (1805-†1876). Health problems but also the fire of the family house at Reichsgasse led to Anton Köhl having to sell the remaining parts of the tannery to the guild master Hans Bawier on May 1, 1832.[55]
Sources:
10: Kaufvertrag der Erben des Gili Köhlen vom 23.04.1620, Erben Gili Kölen, 1620, StAC A I/1.62.03
52: Kriminalakte Köhl'sche Gerbe , Chur, StAC A II/2.0191
53: Kaufvertrag Köhlsche Gerbe, Stadt Chur, 1798, StAC AB III/F 12.003
54: Chur 1893, Ulf Wedler, 2010
55: Verkaufvertrag Köhlsche Gerbe, Stadt Chur, 1932,