Piano production under the Rösler name began around 1878 in Česká Lípa. Until his death in 1891, Gustav Rosler established a secure reputation for the quality of his pianos.
After his death, his wife, Helena Rösler, ran the firm until 1899 when her Ludwig Gatter bought further developed the company. In 1910 they employed more than 100 workers and were generating sales to Vienna, Great Britain and South Africa.
Gatter was able to increase the production from 100 instruments per year up to 1000 per year. Then, the effects of the 1914-1918 war, hit piano production hard. The loss of valued skilled labour and difficulty accessing quality parts and materials. These were challenging times,
In 1918, after the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Danube Monarchy, the first Czechoslovak Republic was formed. International trade began to improve, along with the availability of skilled workers and quality raw materials.
Within a decade, whatever economic recovery there might have been, was rocked to the core by the Great Depression. Most of Czech family businesses were destroyed. Rösler pianos, bucking the trend, survived the crisis and were even able to produce some very fine pianos up until the Second World War.
Under the Nazis, piano production declined again. Workers had to transfer their skills from making pianos to supporting the German war industry. They now had to produce ammunition boxes and aircraft parts.
After the creation of the Czechoslovak Republic, Ludvik Gatter’s sons Reiner and Walter led the company. The business continued to prosper until the 1948 communist takeover, when it was nationalised.
In 1958, the company was managed by the Czechoslovakian Musical Instruments(CSHN). When the Iron Curtain fell, privatisation of businesses began a drive to quality improvements - a welcome development. In 1993, Rösler was bought by Europe’s leading piano maker PETROF.
© Steve Burden
