Wilhelm Schimmel


Schimmel is a German piano maker with factories in Braunschweig, Germany and Kalisz, Poland. Their product line has been described as "the most highly awarded German piano".
The company was founded 1885 by Wilhelm Schimmel in Leipzig, Germany. Four generations of the Schimmel family have since managed and grown the family-owned business.
Schimmel Pianos is known for producing “made in Germany” instruments of high quality. Since 2016 Schimmel has been owned by the Pearl River Piano Group in China. All Fridolin Schimmel pianos are made in the Pearl River piano factory in China. Over the history the company has made an impact on the piano industry with new inventions and innovative designs. Schimmel instruments are produced in the Schimmel workshop in Braunschweig, Germany. With more than 40 awards Schimmel Pianos are the most highly awarded Pianos from German production.

History

1st Generation: Foundation and growth

The history of Schimmel Pianos began on the 2nd of May 1885 as Wilhelm Schimmel founded his own workshop in Leipzig, Germany. His slogan “Quality prevails”, proved to be right as his business succeeded and his instruments grew popular for their advanced technique, excellent sound and contemporary design.
In May 1894, Wilhelm Schimmel produced his 1000th instrument. The company had moved to bigger workshops due to the increasing production. In 1897, Wilhelm Schimmel built his own state-of-the-art factory in Leipzig-Stötteritz on 4000 m² large grounds. Due to the outstanding playability, the highly developed mechanics and the tonal quality the brand Schimmel soon belonged to the circle of renown pianoforte factories in Leipzig, which used to be, besides Berlin the centre of piano manufacturers in Germany.
Schimmel Pianos soon developed an international reputation as their instruments were exported to Russia, Italy, France, the U.S., Switzerland, and many other countries. Schimmel received the title of purveyor of the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and the purveyor of the King of Romania.
At the World Exhibition in 1913 and 1914, the instruments received first gold medals.
An outstanding technical innovation was the development of a self-playing piano, called Ducanola in around 1915.

2nd Generation: 1927 to 1961

At the age of 73, Wilhelm Schimmel passed the company's management to his son, Wilhelm Arno Schimmel. Due to the economic situation the new manager was faced with difficulties concerning the production as well as the sales of pianos. The Hyperinflation in 1923 was followed by the great depression with the Great Stock Market Crash on Black Friday in 1929. The piano industry also had to compete with the radio and the gramophone.
A number of German piano manufacturers united their businesses in December 1929 to the corporation “Deutsche Piano-Werke-AG” with the aim to overcome the challenging situation by unifying certain operations. The production of the cooperation was located in Luckenwalde and Braunschweig in Germany. Instruments of a higher quality such as Schimmel pianos were produced in Braunschweig. The production of grand pianos stayed in the company in Leipzig. Regarding the difficulty to unite different interests within the organization, the cooperation wasn't fit for the future.
Wilhelm Arno Schimmel left the cooperation and founded the “Wilhelm Schimmel, Pianoforte GmbH” 1932 in Braunschweig, Germany.
For the 50th company jubilee, Schimmel developed a small piano without back posts and a newly designed action. The Modell J 50, contemporary trend design was one of the most important new constructions of the 1930s. Arno Schimmel developed further small pianos with a small height. The smallest model only measures the hight of 98 cm with a width of 140 cm. On the 8th of January, Arno Schimmel called the patent “small piano”. Schimmel also produced the smallest grand piano with the length of only 117 cm.
As Braunschweig was the center of the aeroplane industry during the 2nd World War, the city was attacked numerous times by the allies. During the bomb attack in October 1944, a great part of the Schimmel piano factory was destroyed and the production of instruments came to a halt.
After the war ended the factory was rebuilt, first focusing on various kinds of woodwork and furnishing until the production of pianos was continued in 1949.
The 1950s were marked by expansion and new inventions. In 1951 Schimmel presented the first acrylic glass piano in the world on the trade fair in Düsseldorf. The sales boomed during the 50s and end of 1958 Schimmel was the most frequently sold German piano. According to the sales volume Schimmel was the biggest piano manufacturer on the German market: The company exported their pianos worldwide.

3rd Generation: 1961 - 2003

In 1961, Wilhelm Arno Schimmel died unexpectedly. His son, Nikolaus Wilhelm Schimmel, who was trained as a piano builder as well as businessman took over the company's management. As the 1960s were also marked by a boom in the piano industry, the factory in Braunschweig soon became too small for the expanding production. In 1966, a new factory was built on larger premises in the south of Braunschweig. Over 7.500 instruments left the factory in 1975. In the 1980s, the production and sales had increased to annually 10.000 instruments.
In 1985, the company was considered as leading German piano manufacturer. Two thirds of the production was exported in the European Union, to North America and the Paciifc regions.

4th Generation: 2003 - today

In 2003, Nikolaus W. Schimmel gave the management to the next generation.
Regarding the transforming market the company expanded their product line and developed the new product series “Schimmel Konzert” for the premium section. Over the next 10 years, 6 new grand piano and 3 upright piano models were developed. The newly developed and patented method of construction based on the construction of a grand concert piano, which is used for all instruments.
Furthermore, the company invested in research and development and founded another production plant in Kalisz in Poland. Here the series “Wilhelm Schimmel” is produced, which competes with Asian instruments regarding the price, but is produced in Europe.
The financial crisis in 2008 had a large impact on Schimmel Pianos. In 2009, the company filed for self-administered insolvency, ending successfully on the 30th of March in 2010. In the following years Schimmel expands on the Asian market, focusing especially on China, the world's largest piano market. To enter the Chinese market successfully the company founded a strategic alliance with the Pearl River Piano Group, the world's largest piano producer in 2016 and majority share holder of Schimmel Pianos.
Schimmel developed a new piano series, “Fridolin Schimmel” especially for the Asian market, The model is designed for piano beginners and is manufactured in cooperation with Pearl River in China.
In May 2019, Schimmel Pianos found a subsidiary company in China responsible for all sales and marketing activities in China.

Products

Current Models

Schimmel produces the models "Konzert" and "Classic" in the Schimmel Pianos factory in Braunschweig, Germany.

Schimmel Konzert

K 280, K 256, K 230, K 219, K 195, K175 and K 132,K 125, K 122
The series "Schimmel Konzert" includes 6 grand pianos of 175 cm to 280 cm length and three upright piano models, each available in different designs and colours. The series was developed to cater for the needs of professional pianists. The instruments can be found worldwide on concert and theatre stages and has received awards for the sound and construction. The Schimmel "Art Collection" is also part of this series.

Schimmel Classic

C 213, C189, C 169 and C 130, C 126, C 121, C 116
The series "Schimmel Classic" includes three grand pianos of 169 cm to 213 cm and four pianos also in different models. The series was developed for a high standard.

Wilhelm Schimmel

W 206, W 180 and W 123, W 118, W114
The series “Wilhelm Schimmel”, named after the company's founder consists of two grand pianos and three piano models in different designs. The instruments are made for young piano players, offering them pianos of high quality to an affordable price.
The instruments are produced in the Schimmel production site in Kalisz, Poland.

Fridolin Schimmel

F 130, F 123, F 121, F 116
The series consists of four piano models in different colors and designs, especially developed for beginners. The instruments are developed in Germany and produced in cooperation with Pearl River in China. The series is named after Fridolin Schimmel, the older brother of Wilhelm Schimmel, who founded his own piano workshop in 1893 in the U.S.

Special Models

A contemporary design has ever since been a prominent feature of Schimmel pianos. In the course of the company history extraordinary instruments have been designed. In 1913 the Schimmel piano Wilhelmina has been awarded for its outstanding design with a gold medal at the world fair in Leipzig.
Tapping the pulse of the time, cooperating with renowned artists and designers, and using new materials, Schimmel Pianos developed a number of instruments in the following years with an extraordinary and timeless design.
The Schimmel piano “Classic” model C 116 received numerous awards, such as the reddot design award 2018 for its clear minimalistic and timeless design.

Art Collection

Together with renowned artists the German piano manufacturer developed the Schimmel Art Collection.
1952 Schimmel Pianos caused a sensation with the presentation of the first transparent acrylic glass piano. The glass piano was improved 30 years later by Nicholas Schimmel. The piano soon became famous as it toured the world with the entertainer Udo Jürgens. Today the glass piano is highly demanded for TV shows, concerts tours and stages.
The Pegasus piano designed in cooperation with Luigi Colani transcended the traditional form of pianos. The piano is positioned on an acrylic glass plate so the piano seem s to hover in mid-air. The stool is part of the piano body and the lid opens automatically.
The grand piano designed by the artist Otmar Alt attracts attention with its colourful, flamboyant design.

Production

The Schimmel models “Classic” and “Konzert” are artfully crafted since 1885 in Germany. Based on the quote of Wilhelm Schimmel “Quality prevails” the company's production is based on tradition, innovation and handcraft. Committed to a high quality “Made in Germany" is of elementary significance for the piano manufacturer.
The selection of high-quality materials and the use of CNC machines guarantee precision parts of a constant high quality. The majority of the production process is nevertheless hand work based on the experience of artful craftwork grown over years. Instruments by Schimmel Pianos are made of more than 10.000 pieces, that are fitted precisely and artfully in hand work.
For a constant improvement of their products and production processes Schimmel is involved in research and development. New developments are fostered through own innovations as well as cooperation with renowned scientists and institutes. The development of the own company software CAPE facilitates the construction of new models with a higher precision and quality.

Awards

Instruments by Schimmel Pianos have received numerous awards, making Schimmel the most highly awarded German piano brand.

Awarded Instruments, Konzert series