Schimmel

The History of Schimmel

Schimmel is one of the best-known names in German piano making, with a history stretching back to 1885.

From 1885

Wilhelm Schimmel founded the firm in Germany in 1885. Over the following century it grew into one of the largest German piano makers, based in Braunschweig, and for a time it was the biggest maker of pianos in Germany by number.

New ownership

In 2016 the Chinese firm Pearl River, one of the largest piano makers in the world, took a controlling stake in Schimmel. The top Schimmel pianos are still made in Germany, but the group now also builds cheaper Schimmel-branded lines in Poland and China.

Why it matters to a buyer

It means the Schimmel name now spans a wide range, from a hand-built German flagship to an entry-level piano built in China. Knowing which line you are looking at, and where it was made, matters a great deal to the price and the quality. See our models overview and are Schimmel pianos good.

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