The history of piano-making began as early as in 1871 in the town of Jihlava when Josef Bělohlávek, a skilled piano-maker, opened his small workshop and gave work to several local craftsmen who were to become the first of many generations of piano-makers.
The oldest preserved picture
In 1924, a local entrepreneur named Josef Breitner started producing pianos in a former textile factory. Later on, he expanded the production in collaboration with the Viennese piano makers Hoffman & Czerny, employing some 50 workers. Three years later Breitner established a joint venture called "Jihlavská Továrna, a.s.", obtained necessary licenses and started producing instruments under the name of "Hofmann & Czerny". |
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Factory modernisation and piano selection expansion continued until 1944. In 1945, with its manager and chief clerk escaping to Austria, the factory was placed under so-called state management and a couple of years afterwards finally nationalised and incorporated into the newly established company "Piano and Organ Factories", with its headquarters situated in Hradec Králové. Unfortunately, after more than 40 years of this centralisation, all specific construction and sound characteristics of pianos made by different producers were inevitably lost. The Velvet Revolution in 1989 opened new opportunities for private enterprise, allowing the company to escape the giant and find again some of its former individuality. Bohemia Piano,
spol. s.r.o. (limited company) was founded in 1993 after purchasing a manufacturing plant in Jihlava from the Czech state. After 45
years, piano-making in Jihlava was in private hands again. The new owners even managed to revive the original specific attributes of individual products.
The name "Bohemia" is derived from the original term used by the Romans for the territory which many centuries later became the Czech Republic. The town of Jihlava is a colourful place, founded in 13th century close to rich silver mines, and belongs to the oldest mining towns in our country. It is located in a romantic countryside dominated by the hills of Českomoravská vrchovina, on the border of Bohemia and Moravia, not far away from the Austrian border. Jihlava can be rightly proud of its beautifully preserved architectonic monuments, such as its fair-designed square dating back to 1270, to the times of the king Přemysl Otakar II, surrounded by old stone houses with arcades. The romanticism of this place seems to be more than suitable for piano-makers creating instruments destined to express the beauty of musical harmony. The shortage of legally available trademarks resulted in the introduction of several brands allowing the company to meet specific requirements of different world markets. The following brands are currently manufactured by our company:  ,  ,  a  . |
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 Grand piano and digital piano workshop in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic |
 Upright piano workshop in Jihlava, Czech Republic |
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The firm is following up the pre-war tradition and - thanks to the outstanding Czech engineer Miroslav Tauchman - succeeding in developing completely new construction models of upright pianos in an extremely short time. With some 3,000 instruments produced annually, the company is amongst the largest European manufacturers. The number of models offered has increased from 5 to 12 since 1993. All instruments are produced either in gloss or matt finish using polyester or polyurethane respectively.
The lack of space in the original factory in Jihlava has been solved by moving a part of the company's production to its new premises in Hradec Králové. The production of concert pianos is based on perfect collaboration between the designer and highly skilled piano-makers. Their perfect workmanship and the best components used result in unique quality of our instruments sought after by professional performers, music schools and concert halls alike. During the recent years, the company gradually introduced 4 different models of grand pianos, starting at 158 cm in the case of the smallest instrument and including versions 185, 210 and 272 cm long respectively, with the last one intended for professionals performing in concert halls. Their quality is monitored on an ongoing basis and individual products are innovated in accordance with specific requirements of the ompany's customers and new materials or procedures introduced to this otherwise predominantly conventional handicraft. Instruments manufactured by the company are exported to the whole world, satisfying customers everywhere. Exports represent some 97 % of the overall production. Because of different geographical zones, it is necessary to pay extra attention to the protection of pianos from excessive humidity, i.e. to so-called tropicalisation. Thanks to high-quality materials used in the production process, our instruments can also resist very dry conditions specific for some areas of Canada or the USA. In 1998, our company introduced digital pianos, suitable for modern music-making. Our production programme includes even special products, such as for example sound muting devices allowing the player to hear his performance only in headphones, thus not disturbing neighbours, or classical grand or upright piano mechanics electrically amplified (ES-88, FUTURA). |
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| The firm has many plans for the future and shall certainly keep informed both its customers and the public. Its young team of employees (35 years of age in average) is indeed very well suited for the challenging goals. In addition, the firm organises and supports training of another generation of piano-makers which is to follow the tradition successfully started in 1871. | |
