Hello All,  I got a letter from a friend in Leipzig, and she enclosed
a newspaper article about the Ludwig Hupfeld Company.  The article was
published in the "Lokal Anzeiger" (a newspaper published in Leipzig)
from the 29th of September 1998.

Ludwig Hupfeld lived from 1864 till 1949.  His company was famous for
the "Phonolas" and similar mechanical music instruments.  The company
was located on Ludwig-Hupfeld-Street in Boehlitz-Ehrenberg, a
suburb of Leipzig.  The factory buildings -- with the striking tower
and the private house, the Hupfeld-Villa -- still exist. In the best
period (in the 20th century) up to 1300 people were employed.  In 1930
they began production of record players and radios.

After the second World War, during the Communist era, Ludwig Hupfeld
lost all.  The government, or folk of East Germany, owned everything
until the system collapsed in 1989.  In the 1960s they produced a lot
of pianos.

The name of the street was changed in the communist time to Rudolf-
Hartig-Street.  After the system broke down the street name was changed
again back to Ludwig-Hupfeld-Street.

Today the buildings are used for different purposes.  There are only
35 leftover employees working in the piano production department of a
company from South Germany with the name "Pianofortefabrik Leipzig GmbH
und Co KG".

Regards from Hauke Marxsen

 [ What a pity!  Under better circumstances Hupfeld might have built
 [ small player pianos in the 1960s and 70s, when folks once again
 [ were buying Pianolas for nostalgia and the "Good Old Days!".
 [ -- Robbie