Petrof
| Petrof
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|---|---|
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| legal form | spol. s ro |
| founding | 1864 |
| Seat | Hradec Králové , Czech Republic |
| management | Zuzana Ceralová Petrofová |
| Number of employees | 390 (2009) |
| Branch | Musical instrument making |
| Website | petrof.cz |
Petrof is a Czech manufacturer of pianos based in Hradec Králové (German: Königgrätz ) in northeast Bohemia .
history
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The company was founded in 1864 by piano maker Antonín Petrof (German Anton Petrof) in Hradec Králové. He had previously trained in Vienna with various renowned piano manufacturers such as Heitzmann , Friedrich Ehrbar and Schweighofer . Success came over the years and he was able to become a major manufacturer. Among the customers was the imperial court . In 1899 Petrof was granted the privilege of being a purveyor to the imperial court and the title of Privy Councilor . The sons also received both titles later. In 1908 the company was converted into a general partnership, Petrof's wife Marie became an authorized signatory, and the sons Jan, Antonín and Vladimír became part of the company. Antonín and Marie Petrof died in 1915, the management was taken over by the youngest son Vladimír Petrof.
From 1924 pianos were exported to America, Asia and Australia. In 1928 Petrof and Steinway opened a branch in London on Wigmore Street . With the entry of Dimitrij, Eduard and Eugen Petrof, the third generation of the family company began. The piano manufacturer Petrof was awarded the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1935 . During that time, 400 people were employed in the company.
In 1948 the manufacturer Petrof was nationalized , between 1991 and 1998 it was re-privatized. Petrof, which has been run by two sisters of the fifth generation of the Petrof family since 2004, with a year up to 5000 upright pianos and 900 wings at present in terms of units one of the largest piano producer in Europe. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Petrof has also endeavored to innovate in piano construction. The company developed a device to use adjustable magnets to adjust the playing weight of the keys of the grand piano mechanism and to be able to set it according to the preferences of a pianist.
In 1932 Petrof acquired the license to produce the Neo-Bechstein electro-acoustic piano , which was marketed as Neo-Petrof . Instruments of other brands are also manufactured in the Petrof factories. In the branch in Jiříkov (German Georgswalde ), prefabricated Weinbach pianos are finally assembled in China . Up until the Second World War there was a factory owned by the August Förster company , which has its main plant in Löbau in Saxony.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Piano maker Petrof starts producing furniture. In: klassik.com . eMusici, March 5, 2009, accessed June 20, 2012 .
- ↑ Handbook of the Supreme Court and the Court of His K. and K. Apostolic Majesty . Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing House, Vienna 1900, p. 222 .
- ↑ a b c PETROF company history. In: petrof.cz. Petrof, accessed June 20, 2012 .
- ↑ a b c From a workshop in Königgrätz all over the world . In: Prague Newspaper . Prago Media, Prague 19th August 2009.
- ↑ Neuveden: Radio Prague - News - 28-02-1998 10:00. Petrof - privatization. (No longer available online.) In: radio.cz . Český rozhlas , February 28, 1998, archived from the original on February 10, 2013 ; Retrieved June 20, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Where can I read more about PETROF? In: petrof.cz. Petrof, May 7, 2008, accessed June 20, 2012 .
- ^ Lothar Martin: Radio Prag - Nachrichten - 26-01-2009 20:08. Economic crisis: Further layoffs in piano manufacturing and the glass industry. (No longer available online.) In: radio.cz. Český rozhlas, January 26, 2009, archived from the original on February 10, 2013 ; Retrieved June 20, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links and literature
- petrof.cz. Retrieved June 20, 2012 .
- The Petrof Piano Saga . In: The Music Trades . January 2009. Englewood (New Jersey), USA 2008, p. 112–118 (American English, ( page no longer retrievable , web archive search: petrof.com ) [accessed June 20, 2012] article reprint ).
Coordinates: 50 ° 11 ′ 31.8 ″ N , 15 ° 51 ′ 3.3 ″ E