ABSTRACT
The fur industry concentrated in and around Leipzig formed an archetypal Saxon industrial district, but it was also exceptionally well orientated towards the world market. The fur industry of Leipzig was arguably one of the most agile business clusters in Saxony and perhaps even Germany. The economist Alfred Marshall was one of the first to wonder about the persistence of small firms in a world where the growth of big business seemed unstoppable. The concept of the industrial district has played a fundamental role in economic and business history. The chapter proposes the Leipzig fur industry as the subject of this research because it nicely represents the dualism between decentralised production, openness to the world market that was sketched out in the theoretical framework and was one of the central characteristics of Saxony's economy. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
