With the aid of three employees, Julius Blüthner began manufacturing pianos in 1853 in a workshop on the corner of the present-day Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße and Friedrich-Ebert-Straße. The venture was to expand so rapidly that, by 1864, it was necessary to erect two additional buildings on the premises (Blüthner having, in the meantime, bought the site). Further development of the factory complex was to follow. The Municipal Administration Report of 1878 confirms the company's growth to the largest business in Leipzig, with 450 employees. A total of 14,000 instruments had been produced in these initial 25 years.
In the same year, Blüthner had a sizeable hall built on the factory grounds that was to serve both as a showroom for the various models in production and as a concert hall. The faded inscription Eingang zum Blüthner-Saal (Entrance to Blüthner Hall) can still be seen on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 67 today.
In the 19th century Leipzig was one of the leading centres of piano manufacture. Around 1890, over twenty firms were based either in the city or in the surrounding area, for instance Feurich, Förster, Irmler, Schimmel and Zimmermann.
The Blüthner factory complex was almost totally destroyed during the Second World War. The villa of the firm's founder and the former headquarters in Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 71 were, however, to survive the bombing; with the proceeds from the sale of the villa, Blüthner's descendants were able to relaunch the company on new premises in the city.
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Station 7, Erwin-Schulhoff-Haus / Erwin Schulhoff House |
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ehem. Blüthner-Pianoforte-Fabrik / Former Blüthner piano factory (Music Trip station 8) |
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Station 9, Forum Thomanum, Lutherkirche / Forum Thomanum, Luther Church |
