There, Wilfer began building one of the most modern factories of the time and, in the summer of 1954, about 170 employees went to work at the new facility. In late 1949, Bubenreuth became the center of settlement for the Schönbach violin makers. Soon, even that large space proved inadequate. At the end of 1948, the factory was moved to a former brewery in the nearby town of Baiersdorf. A factory was set up in autumn 1946, in a former wheel warehouse in Möhrendorf. In March 1946, the first group of Schönbach violin makers arrived in Erlangen, with Fred Wilfer and the refugee commission arranging accommodation. He also made arrangements for the establishment of the first workshops. When the first train transporting violin makers from Schönbach arrived in Erlangen, Framus was the man in charge of finding housing for them. In 1946, he founded the FRAMUS works, the name being an acronym of FRAnconian MUSical instruments, and designed to draw attention to the fact that the celebrated violin makers of Schönbach had made Franconia their new home. The Bavarian government welcomed his approach and asked him to create all the conditions needed for the industry in Bavaria. After World War II, when he heard about plans to expel Sudeten Germans from post-War II Czechoslovakia, he decided to build up a new basis for his countryman and the music industry in the west.Įven before the first train transported violin makers from Schönbach to other areas, Wilfer contacted different government authorities in Bavaria and told them about his plans. The founder of Framus, Fred Wilfer, was born in the Bohemian area in 1917. Violins and other string instruments have been manufactured and exported worldwide from Schönbach. The city, at the foot of the Erzgebirge, was shaped by music.

1995: Framus musical instruments resumed production under Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG.įramus originated in the town of Schönbach, now re-named Luby and part of the Czech Republic.1975: The rapidly changing market forced the company into bankruptcy.1967: Further expansion saw the building of a second facility in Pretzfeld, Germany.1954: A larger factory was built in Bubenreuth, Germany, to house the 300-strong workforce.Wilfer KG in Erlangen, Germany, to help resettle luthiers displaced from Schönbach, in the Sudetenland (re-named Luby in 1946). 1946: The foundation of Fränkische Musikinstrumentenerzeugung ('Franconian Musical Instruments Fabrication') by Fred A.

Framus guitar models