Begun through the efforts of the officials Paul Stettiner and Theodor Krohne,[1] business courses were originally held in the Altstadt Town Hall on 1 April 1907.

By 1915 the town hall contained a business school, which moved to the former Steindammer Schule on Tragheim's 1.

The foundation stone for the new three-storied building was laid by Prime Minister Otto Braun on 24 November 1930, with construction costing 1,113,000 RM.

While it focused on the economy of East Prussia, the school also studied and had excursions with neighboring countries.

The Handelshochschule sent much of its material to Schlawe (Sławno) in Fall 1944 during World War II, but it was captured by the advancing Red Army in Spring 1945.