Pianos made by: Petrof, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Antonin Petrof was born in 1839 in Hradec Kralove, Czechoslovakia.
In 1857 he began learning the art of piano building at the Ehrbar, Heitzman, and Schweighofer factories in Vienna, Austria. By 1864 he returned to Bohemia and built his first grand piano at his father’s workshop.
In 1874 Petrof moved to a larger shop for manufacturing grand pianos and harmoniums, and by 1880 was operating as A. Petrof Fortepiano Fabrik. The manufacture of upright pianos began in 1883, and player pianos by 1908. In the next several decades Petrof was recognized for their instruments of high quality, earning high acclaim at exhibitions worldwide.
In 1947 the Petrof company was nationalized in the Czech Republic, taken over by the state, and forced to give up their assets and control. The now state run factory continued piano manufacture under the company names of Piano Factories, later Czechoslovak Musical Instruments Co. in 1954, and as part of Music Export by 1965. 1985 began the export of Petrof pianos to the USA by the Geneva International Corp. of Wheeling, Illinois. By 1990 the Petrof factory changed to the name State Petrof Company, having several branch factories. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the process of privatizing of the company began in 1991 and was finalized by 1998.
2001 marked the fifth generation Petrof family member admitted to the firm. In 2008, Petrof pianos were being distributed in North, Central and South America by Petrof USA (Lilburn, Georgia) and in 2012 by Piano Royale Prague (Richland, Washington).
Official Website: www.petrof.com
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