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Friedrich
August Förster |
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Home
Quality
Harmony
History
Today
Uprights
Grands
Contact
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..…
born on July 30th, 1829 in Oberseifersdorf. After 3 years apprenticeship
he worked in a cabinet maker's workshop during the revolution 1848/49
where he repaired musical instruments in his leisure time. This turned
out to be a decisive factor in his life. August Förster moved to Löbau
and studied the fundamental principles of pianomaking with Mr. Hieke and
Karl August Eule. In 1854, August Förster passed his exam as a pianomaker. |
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After
years of work in different towns, full of good ideas he returned to his
home in the region of the Oberlausitz. |
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On April
1st, 1859, August Förster established a small workshop in Löbau, where
he made his first piano. 1862 he established the first factory building
in the suburbs of the town in today's Jahn street. This factory has been
developed into a modern plant during the last decades. |
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Upon the
death of August Foerster in 1897, the management of the company was taken
over by his son, Caesar Foerster. In 1900 he founded a branch factory
in Georgswalde in Bohemia.
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The Austro-Hungarian
Empire was an important market but because of the high import duties that
were imposed in 1886, sales to that area became very difficult. The establishment
of the branch factory only a few kilometers across the border from Loebau
provided the opportunity to circumvent the high duties and thus gain access
to a large market.
In 1945, the Czech government nationalized
the branch factory in Bohemia. To this day, pianos with the name August
Foerster are being produced in the Czech Petroff factory. These pianos
cannot be compared to the design and quality of the original and traditional
AUGUST FOERSTER pianos made in Loebau. |
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After
the early death of Caesar Foerster in 1915, his sons, Gerhard and Manfred
Foerster took over the management of the company that was founded by their
great-grandfather. Gerhard was a brilliant piano designer and Manfred was
a businessman. And thus such inspired designs like the quarter-tone grand
piano and electrochord were introduced in the 1920s
and 1930s. |
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1The
death of Gerhard Foerster in 1966 brought about the first changes in ownership.
The taking over of the company by Wolfgang Foerster, whose father Manfred had
died in 1952, brought about many problems. The enormously high inheritance taxes
could only be paid by allowing the government to purchase shares in the company.
During the last wave of government nationalization in 1972, the company was
transformed into the state owned VEB Fluegel-und Pianobau Loebau. Still under
the management of Wolfgang Foerster, the company was annexed be part of the
German Piano-Union Leipzig. Even though the ruling ideology of the time tried
to push the Foerster name into the background, the character and brand name
Foerster was sustained due to its successful export business. The family name
was added back into the company name in 1976 and it was re-named VEB Foerster
Pianos Loebau. |
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Despite numerous awards
and medals for various grand piano designs presented at the most important
international fairs, it was difficult for Foerster, as well as all other
factories in the socialistic economy of the German Democratic Republic,
to secure needed parts. The significance of being a source of foreign
currency made it possible to procure parts from non-socialistic countries
and so it was that Foerster able to use Renner piano actions as early
as 1987. |
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After the
collapse of the government of the German Democratic Republic, Wolfgang
Foerster was able to re-privatize the family business.
The general economic recession
of the early 1990's lead to a restructuring of the production and staffing
of the company. In the following years, numerous investments were made
for the upkeep and development of the traditional production facility. |
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