Antonín Petrof (15 August 1839 – 9 September 1915) was a Czech entrepreneur and piano maker.
Biography
In 1857, when Petrof was 18 years old, he was visited by his maternal uncle Jan Heitzmann at his family's Hradec Králové home. Heitzmann and his partner Hölzl were already recognized piano manufacturers in [Vienna]. Petrof learned the trade in Vienna and in 1864 returned to Bohemia, where he built his first piano. In 1865 he transformed his father's cabinetry enterprise in the old town square, behind the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit,[1] into a piano-making workshop.
In 1866, a few months before the enveloping Battle of Königgrätz, Petrof registered his company, A. Petrof. After a brief compulsory interruption, during which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire, production resumed. In 1874 his company relocated to new premises on the outskirts of Hradec Králové.
The company grew, and in 1880 an auxiliary factory opened in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary (today Timișoara, Romania). A year later, in 1881, Petrof premiered his own keyboard and mechanical design. In 1883, production of the piano began.
In 1894–95 the first instruments were exported, and A. Petrof was quickly able to establish itself. A warehouse and Comptoir were opened in Vienna. Clients included the nobility and the imperial court.