Carl Haessner IIX Olympia: Zeha Berlin Story (Sneak Peak Part 3)

Zeha Berlin was founded in Thuringia (the central part of Germany) in 1897, and by the 1950s had risen to become the flagship for sport-shoe manufacture, as well as the official sports shoe maker of the legendary GDR Olympic team.


When Germany won the World Cup in 1954 Zeha football boots were on their feet. Renowned for their research, innovation and improvisation (leather was scarce in East Germany), Zeha was ‘acquired’ by the state in 1972, when it became a nationally-owned company.

(German Football Team World Cup 1954)

Zeha is an East German success story which ground to a halt when the Wall fell in 1989. After ceasing production in 1993, Zeha fell into oblivion until 2003, when two Berliners realized their dream of giving the sport shoes of their youth a new lease on life. Building on the legendary models, a new chapter in Zeha's history will now be written with cutting-edge technology and the finest Italian leather - the era of Zeha Berlin. 

The company emphasizes their “respect for traditional values”, and new shoe collections are closely modelled after the originals.  Zeha Berlin combines traditional forms and the lifestyle of young Berlin with a promise to “make every day somehow historical.”