Petrof

The company was founded in 1864 in Hradec Králové, Empor Österreich, by Antonín Petrof (d. 1915), who had apprenticed at Wenes companies such as Heintzman & Co., Friedrich Ehrbar and Schweighofer.

The owner Antonín Petrof was awarded an imperial and royal warrant of appointment to the court of Austria-Hungary.^[4] In 1924 the company was exporting its pianos to Europe, Japan, China, Australia and South America.

At the World Exhibition 1934 in Brussels,^{[clarification needed]} the Petrof instruments won the gold medal.^[5] At that time, approximately 400 people worked at their factory.

After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état, the company was nationalized.

In 1991, the company was returned to the Petrof family.^[6] Petrof is currently led by two sisters from the fifth generation of the Petrof family^[7] and produces annually approximately 100 grand pianos and 500 upright pianos.^[1] Petrof is known for several innovations, such as ways to adjust the mechanics and particularly pressure point through magnetic systems.^[8][9]

After 1993, the piano company G. Rösler of Česká Lípa, Bohemia, was acquired.

Petrof pianos have been used by many famous musicians, including among others: Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Sviatoslav Richter, Count Basie, Richard Clayderman, Ennio Morricone, Renato Carosone and Mark Levinson.^[2][10]