AEG Luxembourg
AEG's major appliances brand page in Luxembourg
Last updated October 5, 2026
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History
AEG emerged from the electrification boom of the late nineteenth century. Emil Rathenau established the Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität in Berlin in 1883 after securing rights associated with Edison’s electric-light technology. The enterprise initially concentrated on lamps and electrical lighting, using generating stations to illuminate cafés, restaurants and theatres. In 1888 it was reorganized and renamed Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft, giving rise to the AEG abbreviation. During its first decades, AEG developed into a vertically broad electrical manufacturer. It produced lamps, dynamos, motors, generators, switches, fuses, cables, transformers, turbines and measuring instruments. The business also constructed power stations and participated in electric tramways and railway electrification. Its engineering work helped advance the practical use of alternating current. In 1891, a demonstration associated with AEG transmitted three-phase electricity over approximately 175 kilometres from Lauffen to Frankfurt, showing that power could be moved over long distances and used for lighting and mechanical applications. AEG expanded into transportation and other industries in the early twentieth century. It entered automobile production through the Neue Automobil Gesellschaft, participated in aircraft manufacture, supplied railway equipment and developed industrial machinery. In 1903, AEG and Siemens & Halske formed Telefunken, a joint radio enterprise that later became part of the AEG corporate structure. In 1907, Peter Behrens became the company’s artistic adviser. His coordinated treatment of architecture, advertising and product design helped create one of the earliest recognizable corporate identities in modern industry. AEG’s Berlin turbine factory became an influential example of industrial architecture. The company’s product and technology portfolio continued to widen. AEG is associated with an early electric hairdryer, high-speed railway experiments, domestic refrigerators, temperature-controlled irons and the Magnetophon K1 tape recorder presented in 1935. By the interwar period it was an international supplier of electrical expertise and equipment. Its projects extended beyond Germany, including electrification work in territories administered by Britain. AEG’s wartime history is deeply problematic. In 1933 it joined other large German industrial companies in supporting Adolf Hitler and the rearmament program. During the Second World War, the company supplied military-related electrical products and used forced laborers, including concentration-camp prisoners and people coerced in occupied territories. Documented examples include operations connected with Kraków-Płaszów, Pustków, Riga and Auschwitz-Monowitz. Workers were exposed to harsh and often lethal conditions. Decades later, AEG joined other German companies in contributing to a reparations fund for Jewish forced labor survivors through the Jewish Claims Conference. After 1945, factories and assets in the Soviet occupation zone were expropriated or transferred into Soviet and East German state enterprises. The western business rebuilt production in locations including Berlin, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Mülheim and Kassel. Corporate headquarters moved westward, first to Hamburg and then to Frankfurt am Main. The company grew again in the 1950s, but reconstruction costs, diversification and financial pressure later created structural problems. AEG merged with Telefunken in 1967 and adopted the AEG-Telefunken identity. During the 1970s and 1980s it sold or reorganized businesses, including its consumer-electronics activities. Daimler-Benz acquired the remaining AEG company in 1985 and progressively integrated its operations. Former AEG businesses were subsequently reorganized into groups such as Adtranz and Deutsche Aerospace, while the standalone AEG corporation disappeared. The AEG household-appliance business followed a different path. Electrolux acquired AEG Hausgeräte in 1994 and obtained rights to the AEG brand in 2005. Electrolux now uses the name on selected household appliances and licenses it to additional partners. The modern AEG therefore represents a continuation of the name and design heritage rather than the original electrical conglomerate. Historical references to AEG’s power engineering, transport and military-era activities should not be conflated with the contemporary Electrolux-managed consumer brand.
- 2005
Electrolux obtains broader brand rights
[1]Electrolux obtained rights to use and license the AEG name on consumer products.
- 1994
Electrolux acquires AEG household appliances
[1]Electrolux acquired AEG Hausgeräte, the household-appliance subsidiary.
- 1985
Daimler-Benz acquisition
[1]Daimler-Benz acquired the remaining AEG company and began integrating its businesses.
- 1967
Merger with Telefunken
[1]AEG merged with its subsidiary Telefunken and adopted the AEG-Telefunken corporate identity.
- 1945
Postwar reconstruction begins
[1]After the war, AEG lost much of its eastern German asset base and resumed production in western German locations.
- 1935
Magnetophon K1 presented
[1]AEG presented the Magnetophon K1 tape recorder at the Berlin Radio Show.
- 1907
Peter Behrens appointed artistic adviser
[1]Behrens developed a coordinated approach to AEG’s architecture, products and advertising that became a landmark in corporate design history.
- 1903
Telefunken joint subsidiary formed
[1]AEG and Siemens & Halske combined their radio interests in the Telefunken joint enterprise.
- 1891
Long-distance three-phase transmission demonstrated
[1]An AEG-associated engineering team demonstrated transmission of electricity from Lauffen to Frankfurt, supporting the wider adoption of alternating-current networks.
- 1888
The AEG name adopted
[1]The company was reorganized and renamed Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft.
Products and positioning
A premium-oriented European appliance brand built on the heritage of German electrical engineering, industrial functionality and coordinated design. The modern mark is owned by Electrolux and is also licensed in selected product categories and markets.
Historical electrical equipment · 1883
Electrical lighting equipment
AEG began with electric lamps, lighting systems and the generating infrastructure needed to operate them. Its early business connected product manufacturing with the construction of local power stations and the installation of lighting for commercial and public venues.
Historical electrical engineering · 1883
Power-generation and transmission equipment
The historical company manufactured generators, motors, transformers, switches, cables and turbines, and supplied systems for power generation and transmission. These activities helped make AEG one of Germany’s leading electrical-engineering concerns.
Railway technology · 1891
Railway electrical equipment
AEG developed and supplied electrical equipment for trams, railways and locomotives. Its railway work included a high-speed three-phase experimental railcar and later formed part of the longer industrial lineage that led to railway businesses such as Adtranz.
Consumer electronics · 1903
Telefunken radio and recording technology
Through Telefunken, a joint enterprise formed with Siemens & Halske, AEG participated in radio technology and later recording equipment. The Magnetophon K1, shown in 1935, was an important early tape-recording product associated with the group.
Household appliances · 1994
AEG household appliances
The modern AEG brand is primarily used on household appliances, including cooking, refrigeration, dishwashing, laundry and floor-care products. Electrolux owns the brand rights and uses a premium European positioning centered on functionality, design and appliance performance.
Controversies
1933
Support for the Nazi regime and use of forced labor
AEG supported Nazi rearmament and benefited during the Second World War from forced labor, including concentration-camp prisoners and workers coerced in occupied territories. Documented operations were connected with sites including Kraków-Płaszów, Pustków, Riga and Auschwitz-Monowitz. The company later participated in reparations for Jewish forced-labor survivors through the Jewish Claims Conference.
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