Born in Berlin in 1899, Gustav Kremmert started out as a metalworker. He was a member of the German Communist Party (KPD) and was imprisoned for several months in 1933. After a number of work accidents made him unable to perform heavy labor, Gustav Kremmert worked with Otto Weidt as a salesman.
In 1939 Otto Weidt and Gustav Kremmert founded the first Otto Weidt’s Workshop for the Blind on Großbeerenstraße in the Kreuzberg district. Gustav Kremmert was the company’s co-owner and Weidt’s deputy. He was also heavily involved in helping persecuted Jews, obtaining food, clothing, and other items for them. It was his idea to conceal the Horn family’s hiding place behind a wardrobe. He took people at risk into his home on several occasions.
Gustav Kremmert was drafted into the Wehrmacht in November 1943, despite being previously classified as unfit for the military. He did not have to perform armed service, however. He returned to the workshop for the blind in February 1947. In 1953 he moved to West Berlin, where he died in 1973. Gustav Kremmert was never honored for his help for persecuted Jews.
