August Förster

August Förster is a German piano-manufacturing company based in Löbau, Saxony. Founded by August Förster on April 1, 1859, the business began as a small workshop before moving into a purpose-built factory on Löbau’s Jahn Street in 1862. That site remains associated with the German-made August Förster instrument, although it has been enlarged and modernized over the course of the company’s history. The brand’s identity is closely tied to family ownership and management, small-scale production, traditional craftsmanship, and the manufacture of concert and domestic pianos rather than mass-market instruments. The company expanded under August Förster’s son, Caesar Förster, who took over management in 1897. In 1900, a second factory was established in Jiříkov in Bohemia, then within the Austro-Hungarian sphere. The historical connection between the Löbau company and the Jiříkov operation later became complicated by political changes. After the Second World War, the Jiříkov factory was nationalized in 1948 and operated under separate state-sanctioned management. Although instruments made there continued to use the Förster name, the Czech-made pianos were no longer connected with the German August Förster company. That separate production later became associated with Petrof and was sold in selected European and Canadian markets. The German company also participated in early piano-electronics experimentation. In 1937 it produced the Vierling-Förster piano, an early electric piano developed with Oskar Vierling and researchers at the Heinrich Institute for Oscillation Research in Berlin. The instrument used electromagnetic pickups and is notable as an early attempt to apply electronic principles to piano sound production. The postwar period brought further political and organizational change. In 1972, during the final phase of nationalization in East Germany, the Löbau operation became the state-owned VEB Flügel-und-Pianobau Löbau and was incorporated into the German Piano-Union in Leipzig. Wolfgang Förster continued to manage the enterprise. The family name returned to the official company designation in 1976, when instruments were marketed as VEB Förster Pianos Löbau. The same year marked the beginning of exports to the United States. August Förster’s German instruments have been associated with prominent composers and performers, including Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev, and Giacomo Puccini. The brand also gained broad public visibility when an August Förster piano appeared in the film The Pianist. Its instruments have received recognition for tone and construction, including a gold medal awarded to a Rococo-style grand piano in 1987. Piano specialist Larry Fine has rated modern German-made August Förster instruments highly for performance, quality control, durability, bass response, and the responsiveness of their Renner actions. Today, August Förster remains a specialist German manufacturer. Reference material describes a workforce of approximately 40 people producing roughly 120 grand pianos and 150 upright pianos annually. The company’s positioning is premium, craft-oriented, and historically rooted: it competes through tonal character, hand-finishing, manufacturing continuity, and the prestige of a long-established German workshop rather than through high volume or broad consumer distribution.

August Förster began on April 1, 1859, when August Förster opened a piano workshop in Löbau, Germany. The business expanded quickly enough to require a factory, which opened on Jahn Street in 1862. That location became the enduring center of the German August Förster operation and has subsequently been expanded and modernized while retaining its role as the company’s principal manufacturing site. In 1897, August Förster’s son Caesar succeeded him as manager. Three years later, the family established a second factory in Jiříkov, Bohemia. The company’s historical reputation grew during this period, and its owner Franz Cäsar Förster received an imperial and royal court warrant from Austria-Hungary. This recognition reflected the standing of the instruments within the Central European piano trade. The company’s history includes an important episode in the development of electronic keyboard instruments. In 1937, it manufactured the Vierling-Förster piano, developed by Oskar Vierling in cooperation with researchers at the Heinrich Institute for Oscillation Research at the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg, now part of Technische Universität Berlin. The instrument used electromagnetic pickups and represented an early electric-piano design. Political changes after the Second World War divided the histories of the two Förster factories. The Jiříkov plant was nationalized in 1948. Pianos continued to be produced there under new state-controlled management, but those Czech-made instruments were no longer connected to the German August Förster company. The separate line later became associated with Petrof and continued to be sold in selected markets under arrangements distinct from the Löbau business. In East Germany, the Löbau company was nationalized in 1972 and became VEB Flügel-und-Pianobau Löbau. It was incorporated into the German Piano-Union, Leipzig, although Wolfgang Förster remained its manager. In 1976, the family name was restored to the official designation, producing the VEB Förster Pianos Löbau branding. That year also saw the company begin exports to the United States, giving the East German operation access to an important international market. The brand’s later reputation rested on the continued production of German-made grand and upright pianos. Instruments were associated with composers and performers including Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev, and Giacomo Puccini. A Förster piano’s appearance in The Pianist introduced the name to a broad film audience. The company also received quality recognition, including a 1987 gold medal for a Rococo-style grand piano. Piano critic and author Larry Fine rated modern August Förster instruments strongly in performance, quality control, and durability, while noting their bass character and the responsiveness of their Renner actions. The contemporary company remains a specialized manufacturer in Löbau. Available reference material characterizes it as a small operation with approximately 40 employees and annual production of around 120 grand pianos and 150 upright pianos. Its business model is therefore based on premium, relatively low-volume piano production and the preservation of German workshop expertise.

• 1987

  Rococo-style grand receives a gold medal

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  A Förster Rococo-style grand piano receives a gold-medal award for quality and tone.

• 1976

  Förster name returns to the official branding

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  The instruments are marketed as VEB Förster Pianos Löbau, and the company begins exporting to the United States.

• 1972

  Löbau operation becomes a state enterprise

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  The East German company becomes VEB Flügel-und-Pianobau Löbau and is incorporated into the German Piano-Union, Leipzig.

• 1948

  Jiříkov factory is nationalized

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  The Jiříkov facility is taken into state ownership; its subsequent production becomes separate from the German August Förster company.

• 1937

  Vierling-Förster electric piano is manufactured

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  The company produces an early electric piano using electromagnetic pickups, developed with Oskar Vierling and Berlin research institutions.

• 1900

  Second factory opens in Jiříkov

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  The company establishes a second production facility in Jiříkov, Bohemia.

• 1897

  Caesar Förster succeeds August Förster

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  Caesar Förster takes over management of the family company.

• 1862

  Löbau factory opens

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  The growing business moves into a factory on Jahn Street in Löbau, a site that remains associated with German August Förster production.

• 1859

  August Förster opens a piano workshop

  [1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  August Förster establishes a piano workshop in Löbau on April 1, marking the beginning of the company.

A premium, craft-led German piano brand emphasizing traditional production in Löbau, distinctive tonal design, family continuity, and limited-volume manufacture.

• Grand pianos

  August Förster grand pianos

  The company’s principal premium offering consists of handcrafted German grand pianos for concert, professional, and private use. They are associated with a distinctive tonal profile, strong bass response, traditional cabinet work, and relatively low-volume production in Löbau.

• Upright pianos

  August Förster upright pianos

  August Förster manufactures upright pianos for domestic, educational, and professional settings. These instruments extend the brand’s handcrafted German approach into a more compact format while retaining its emphasis on tone, action responsiveness, and cabinet craftsmanship.

• Electric piano · 1937

  Vierling-Förster piano

  Manufactured in 1937, the Vierling-Förster was an early electric piano developed with Oskar Vierling and Berlin researchers. Its electromagnetic pickups made it an important historical example of attempts to create an electronically amplified piano sound.

• Decorative grand piano

  Rococo-style grand piano

  The Rococo-style grand represents the company’s decorative and historically inspired piano work. A model of this type received a gold medal in 1987, contributing to the brand’s reputation for combining ornate design with performance-oriented construction.

• 1976

  Reintroduction of the Förster name and U.S. exportsStrategy

  Background

  Following the company’s incorporation into the East German piano sector, the family name was again used in the instrument branding.

  Action taken

  Products were marketed as VEB Förster Pianos Löbau, and the company began exporting to the United States.

  Aftermath

  The move marked a renewed emphasis on the historical brand identity and expanded the company’s international distribution.

  Source

• 1972

  Integration into the East German piano industryStrategy

  Background

  The final phase of nationalization in East Germany affected the Löbau piano operation.

  Action taken

  The company became VEB Flügel-und-Pianobau Löbau and was annexed to the German Piano-Union in Leipzig.

  Aftermath

  Wolfgang Förster remained involved in management, and the family name was restored to the official branding in 1976.

  Source

• 1948

  Separation of the Jiříkov production operationStrategy

  Background

  The nationalization of the Jiříkov factory after the Second World War changed the ownership and governance of that facility.

  Action taken

  Production continued under separate state-sanctioned management, distinct from the German August Förster company.

  Aftermath

  Czech-made instruments using the Förster name subsequently developed independently and were later associated with Petrof, while the German brand continued from Löbau.

  Source

• August Förster continues limited-volume German piano production[1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reference material describes the active Löbau company as employing about 40 people and producing approximately 120 grand pianos and 150 upright pianos per year.

• August Förster instruments featured in The Pianist[1]August Försteren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  An August Förster piano appeared as a featured instrument in the film The Pianist, giving the brand international visibility through popular culture.

1. 1August Försteren.wikipedia.org
2. 2August Förster official websiteaugust-foerster.de