Feurich (Feurich Pianoforte GmbH) is piano company founded in 1851 in Leipzig, Germany, by Julius Gustav Feurich and has been family operated for five generations becoming renowned for the quality of its pianos. Since 2011 Feurich is owned by the Austrian piano manufacturer Wendl & Lung and the bulk of manufacturing is carried out in China except the upright piano 123 – Vienna made in Vienna, Austria.[1] In 2021 Feurich - Wendl&Lung GmbH was renamed Feurich Pianoforte GmbH.
The Founder's great-grandson, Julius Feurich of Gunzenhausen, has not been involved in the Feurich trademark rights or in the production of Feurich instruments since the beginning of 2012.
Today, Feurich is owned by an Austrian piano manufacturing company called Feurich. Feurich Pianoforte, Wendl & Lung GmbH (Feurich, Wendl & Lung Piano Company) and most of the production is done in China.
Since 2016, the Feurich piano brand is also produced in District 6, Vienna (Austria) and relocated to District 7 by Feurich Pianoforte, Wendl & Lung GmbH Company.
Feurich was one of Germany's greatest piano companies, but unfortunately being located in a large city heavily bombed during World War II, the factory was destroyed; and the next unfortunate thing was that it was in East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain, during the partition of Germany that brought exports down to almost zero. The factory was relocated in the suburb of Gunzenhausen (West Germany) in the 1960s.
In 2012, Feurich was sold to a similarly traditional Austrian piano company called Wendl & Lung, a piano manufacturer from Vienna, founded in 1910. Wendl & Lung is developing again. Feurich Piano and Grand Piano, based on the same structure as before. Starting in 2012, Feurich pianos and grand pianos were manufactured in Ningbo (China), and in 2016, Model-123 upright pianos were manufactured in Vienna (Austria).
History:
J. Feurich Piano (History Museum, Ulan-Ude)
Handmade piano-making has a long tradition in Saxony. The city of Leipzig, along with Paris, London and Vienna, was one of the pillars of musical culture and the European musical capital of the German Empire. In addition to its great cultural heritage, the city of Leipzig is also a prominent trading site with lots of national contact and a thriving middle class. Here Julius Gustav Feurich founded the Feurich piano factory (die Pianofortefabrik Feurich) in 1851.
By 1860, more than 400 musical instruments had been produced and sold. Julius Feurich worked to expand his business and in the following years a larger and more modern factory was built allowing for ever greater volume production. By the turn of the twentieth century, nearly 14,000 upright pianos and grand pianos had been produced. In addition to Feurich, piano manufacturers Blüthner, Schimmel, Gebr. Zimmermann, Hupfeld and related industries are also located here.
World War I brought heavy defeats, instead of pianos, various war goods were produced. By 1919, more than 34,000 pianos and grand pianos had been built.
During periods of inflation, when people immediately exchanged money for real assets, production ran at full speed; then, during the Great Depression, when people had to spend their money on necessities, production fell somewhat. During this time, Feurich also produced cases for radios.
After the war, repairs were carried out, and it was only in 1950 that new instruments were shipped. In June 1951, Julius Feurich fled to West Germany, where he was accepted into the Euterpe piano factory in Mittelfranken and became a shareholder. Pianos of the Feurich brand were produced there. The state authorities of the GDR made it difficult for Julius Feurich, who had administrative rights in Leipzig, to continue operating in Langlau. In 1958, he was advised to let the company nationalize. Members of the Feurich family who remained in the GDR also fled to the West. 1959 Julius Feurich Pianofortefabrik GmbH (Julius Feurich piano maker) is founded in West Germany.
With the advent of the Japanese piano factories Yamaha and Kawai, it became increasingly difficult for German manufacturers to keep numbers. In 1991, the Euterpe company - and in that part Feurich - was taken over by the Bechstein Company. The original musical instruments were made in Berlin. Feurich's CEO, Julius Matthias Feurich, was unhappy that the company name of Feurich only played a subordinate role, so in 1993 he bought back Fechrich's shares in the Bechstein company.
In 1994, after a 3-year hiatus, Feurich exhibited again in his own pavilion at the Frankfurt Music Fair. These instruments were originally manufactured in Rönisch, Leipzig, until the construction of their own company in Gunzenhausen, near Nürnberg, was completed, where between 1999 and 2009 all Feurich pianos were completed. and Grand pianos are all handcrafted by expert piano builders.
By 1998, the Feurich company had produced 76,210 musical instruments. After that, 02 models of upright pianos - sizes 118 cm and 123 cm - were built; as well as 02 Grand piano models - sizes 172 cm and 227 cm - were also produced in small quantities.
In 2010 and 2011, there was a partnership between the Vienna Company (Republic of Austria) Wendl & Lung and Feurich Klavier- und Flügelfabrikation GmbH (Feurich Piano and Grand Piano Company). The aim is to expand the portfolio: on the one hand, a low-cost segment served by products from Chinese manufacturing, while also continuing to offer grand pianos and grand pianos as making pianos. handcrafted from the production line in Gunzenhausen.
Due to the economic development of the production in Gunzenhausen, at the end of 2011 it had to close, and from 1 January 2012 the cooperation ended again. In 2010, the company in Vienna (Austria) took over most of Feurich's shares as well as worldwide trademark rights. In 2012, the Viennese company took over the Feurich Company completely. Feurich's production sites are now at Hailun, Ningbo (China) and Vienna (Austrian Republic) plants.
Julius Feurich remains chief executive officer of JF Pianofortemanufaktur GmbH (JF Piano Builder), not affiliated with Feurich. in association with Feurich Klavier- und Flügelfabrikation GmbH (Feurich Piano and Grand Piano Company) and subsequently sold its products under the brand name "JF".
Model upright piano (upright piano) and grand piano:
The following upright piano and grand piano models are made in China:
Stand model:
Mod. 115 Premiere
Mod. 122 Universal
Mods. 125 Design
Mods. 133 Concert
Model Grand Piano:
Mod. 162 Dynamic I
Mod. 179 Dynamic II
Mod. 218 Concert
Upright piano made in Austria:
Model 123 Vienna
