Siemens & Halske
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA pioneering German electrical-engineering company founded in 1847 and the principal historical predecessor of Siemens AG.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Siemens & Halske was a German electrical-engineering company established in Berlin on 12 October 1847 by Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske. Originally named Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske, it began by manufacturing electrical telegraph equipment based on Charles Wheatstone's earlier telegraph technology. The company became one of the formative enterprises of the modern electrical industry and ultimately developed into the principal corporate predecessor of Siemens AG. The business's early growth was closely connected with the expansion of long-distance telegraphy. In 1848, Siemens & Halske constructed one of the first major European telegraph connections, linking Berlin with Frankfurt am Main. The company subsequently developed a broader international presence through representatives, subsidiaries, and manufacturing operations. Carl Heinrich von Siemens established the firm's Russian branch in 1853 and secured work connected with the development of the Russian telegraph system. In Britain, Carl Wilhelm Siemens represented the company and helped develop a cable-manufacturing operation at Woolwich. The company's international expansion made it an early example of a German engineering enterprise operating across national markets. Electrical power and urban transport became increasingly important as the company expanded beyond telegraphy. Werner von Siemens's work on the dynamo helped support the firm's movement into generators, motors, lighting, and railway electrification. In 1881, Siemens & Halske built the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway in Berlin, widely recognized as the world's first electric streetcar line. It later participated in the Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram near Vienna, an early electric interurban railway in Austria-Hungary. In 1882, the company also opened the experimental Elektromote track in Berlin-Halensee, an early trolleybus-related installation. The company's organization changed as it grew. Johann Georg Halske left the business in 1867, and Werner von Siemens retired in 1890. Werner's brother Carl Heinrich, together with his sons Arnold and Georg Wilhelm, continued to develop the enterprise. New premises were built along the western Spree river in the Berlin suburb of Charlottenburg in 1897. From 1899 onward, the expanding industrial complex became known as Siemensstadt, a name that later became strongly associated with the Siemens corporate identity. In 1903, parts of Siemens & Halske's activities were combined with Schuckert & Co. of Nuremberg to form Siemens-Schuckert. After that transaction, Siemens & Halske increasingly concentrated on communications engineering while related Siemens companies handled other electrical and industrial activities. The company also served as a holding and coordinating entity for subsidiaries. During the First World War, products associated with the Siemens-Halske name included aircraft engines such as the Sh.I and Sh.III, as well as military communications equipment and MG08/15 machine guns. The company's history also includes serious wartime abuses. During the Second World War, Siemens & Halske used forced laborers, including people supplied from concentration camps. This forms an important and negative part of the company's historical record and of the later history of the Siemens group. Siemens & Halske continued to exist within a wider restructuring of Siemens businesses after the Second World War. In 1966, Siemens & Halske was reorganized together with related Siemens entities into Siemens AG. The original company therefore ceased to operate as an independent corporate brand, but its engineering heritage, Berlin industrial sites, communications expertise, and corporate lineage remain central to the history of Siemens.
History
Siemens & Halske originated in Berlin on 12 October 1847, when Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske founded Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske. Its initial business was the manufacture and installation of electrical telegraph apparatus. The company quickly moved from workshop production into infrastructure projects, including the Berlin–Frankfurt telegraph connection completed in 1848. The enterprise expanded internationally during the nineteenth century. Carl Heinrich von Siemens established a Russian branch in 1853 and obtained work related to the Russian telegraph network. In Britain, Carl Wilhelm Siemens represented the company and was involved in the development of a cable-manufacturing plant at Woolwich. The company benefited from the growing demand for telegraphy and from Werner von Siemens's work on electrical generation, which supported expansion into dynamos, generators, motors, lighting, and transport electrification. Siemens & Halske became an important participant in the emergence of electric public transport. In 1881 it built the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway in Berlin, an early electric streetcar line of global historical significance. The company later worked on the Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram near Vienna, and in 1882 opened the experimental Elektromote route in Berlin-Halensee, an early trolleybus-related project. Leadership and organization changed as the firm grew. Halske left the company in 1867, while Werner von Siemens retired in 1890. The next generation, including Carl Heinrich von Siemens and Werner's sons Arnold and Georg Wilhelm, continued the business. New premises were built in Charlottenburg along the western Spree river in 1897. The complex was increasingly known as Siemensstadt from 1899 and became a major symbol of the company's industrial presence in Berlin. In 1903, parts of Siemens & Halske were combined with Schuckert & Co. of Nuremberg to form Siemens-Schuckert. Siemens & Halske then became more closely associated with communications engineering, while other Siemens companies handled power and industrial operations. The company also functioned as a holding entity for subsidiaries. Its historical product range included telegraph systems, cables, electrical machinery, tramway equipment, communications devices, field telephones, aircraft engines, and military hardware. The company's wartime history is complex. During the First World War, Siemens-Halske products included the Sh.I and Sh.III rotary aircraft engines and military equipment such as MG08/15 machine guns and field communications devices. During the Second World War, the company used forced labor, including people brought from concentration camps. This exploitation is a documented part of the company's historical record and must be considered when assessing its wartime operations. In 1966, Siemens & Halske was reorganized with other Siemens businesses into Siemens AG. The historical company consequently ceased to operate as an independent entity, while its technologies, facilities, corporate structures, and brand heritage were absorbed into the modern Siemens organization.
- 1966
Reorganization into Siemens AG
[1]Siemens & Halske and related Siemens entities were reorganized into Siemens AG.
- 1903
Formation of Siemens-Schuckert
[1]Parts of Siemens & Halske were combined with Schuckert & Co. to form Siemens-Schuckert.
- 1899
Siemensstadt name comes into use
[1]The large Berlin industrial site became known as Siemensstadt, a name that remained associated with the Siemens enterprise.
- 1897
New Charlottenburg premises
[1]The company established expanding premises along the western Spree river in Charlottenburg, Berlin.
- 1882
Elektromote experiment
[1]The company opened an experimental Elektromote track in Berlin-Halensee, associated with an early trolleybus concept.
- 1881
Gross-Lichterfelde electric tramway
[1]Siemens & Halske built the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway in Berlin, an early electric streetcar line.
- 1867
Dynamo-related expansion
[1]Werner von Siemens's work on the electric generator supported the company's move into power equipment and electric machinery.
- 1853
Russian branch established
[1]Carl Heinrich von Siemens established the company's Russian branch and secured a contract connected with the Russian telegraph system.
- 1848
Berlin–Frankfurt telegraph line
[1]The company constructed one of the first major European telegraph connections, linking Berlin and Frankfurt am Main.
- 1847
Company founded in Berlin
[1]Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske established Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske on 12 October in Berlin.
Products and positioning
Historical electrical-engineering and communications pioneer
Telecommunications equipment · 1847
Electrical telegraph systems
Telegraph apparatus formed the company's original business. Siemens & Halske manufactured equipment based on contemporary electrical telegraph principles and supplied infrastructure for long-distance communication networks. The Berlin–Frankfurt line demonstrated the company's ability to move beyond device production into the construction and operation of major communications links.
Electrical machinery
Generators, dynamos, and electric motors
As electrical generation technology developed, Siemens & Halske expanded into dynamos, generators, motors, and related power equipment. This broadened the company from a specialist telegraph manufacturer into a general electrical-engineering enterprise and supported later work in lighting, railways, and industrial electrification.
Urban and railway transport · 1881
Electric tramway systems
The company designed and built electric transport installations, including the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway in Berlin and the Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram near Vienna. These projects combined electrical supply, traction equipment, rolling-stock integration, and route infrastructure, helping establish Siemens as an early supplier of electrified urban and interurban transport.
Trolleybus and electric transport experiment · 1882
Elektromote
The Elektromote was an experimental installation opened in Berlin-Halensee in 1882. It explored the use of an overhead electrical supply for a road vehicle and is generally treated as an early predecessor to trolleybus concepts. Although it did not become a mass-market product, it illustrated the company's interest in applying electrical engineering beyond fixed rail systems.
Aircraft engines
Siemens-Halske Sh.I and Sh.III
During the First World War, the Siemens-Halske name was used for rotary aircraft engines including the Sh.I and Sh.III. These engines represented the company's wartime diversification into aviation propulsion and reflected its broader participation in military engineering during the period.
Military communications equipment
Feldfernsprecher 33
Siemens & Halske produced field telephones of the Feldfernsprecher 33 type. Such equipment formed part of the company's military communications output and illustrates the importance of wired battlefield communications within its twentieth-century product portfolio.
Controversies
Brand decisions
1966
Reorganize the Siemens businesses into Siemens AGStrategyBackground
The historical Siemens companies had developed into a group of related entities with overlapping corporate and operating structures.
Action taken
Siemens & Halske and related Siemens entities were reorganized into Siemens AG.
Aftermath
Siemens & Halske ceased to exist as an independent company, while its business heritage and activities became part of Siemens AG.
1903
Combine activities with Schuckert & Co.M&ABackground
Siemens was reorganizing its expanding electrical businesses and sought a structure that separated or coordinated different areas of engineering activity.
Action taken
Parts of Siemens & Halske were merged with Schuckert & Co. of Nuremberg to create Siemens-Schuckert.
Aftermath
Siemens & Halske became more closely associated with communications engineering, while Siemens-Schuckert handled other electrical and industrial activities within the wider Siemens organization.
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