There are actually two founding roots of the Cantulia brand and factory. The company Kahnt & Uhlmann produced Cantulia accordions and bandones from 1880 to 1937 in Altenburg, Thuringia, Germany. The company moved from eastern Altenburg to west Siegburg in 1937, where its production was discontinued in 1957. Unlike the time at Siegburg, there is little information about the time at Altenburg. The founding year has also been mentioned to be 1912 alongside 1880. It may be that the name of the company Kahnt & Uhlmann changed to Cantulia KG when it moved in 1937. Kantulia is named in addition to the Cantulia spelling, albeit very little.
World War I had made the economy tight for industrial plants operating in the Siegburg region of Western Germany. For example photographic tiles (printing plates?) and cotton factory were merged two months before the end of the World War I in 1918 with company Siegwerk. The new company was called Siegwerk-Industrie-Gesellschaft m.b.h. and its production was based on cotton products which were printed patterns or texts. The chemicals department of the factory, which was reorganized, required only a small part of the premises of the former cotton factory, so empty properties in the factory area had to be rented to other companies. Various companies were found in the premises, such as a sausage factory. A couple of years before the start of World War II, on the 2nd of January 1937, Cantulia moved to Siegburg and rented a hall from the tobacco manufacturer Haus Neuerburg.
In 1937, Cantulia employed 50 employees, mainly specialised carpenters. Five months after the start of the manufacture of musical instruments, on the 2nd of January 1937, the company’s production capacity was increased. The company developed successfully, and by the beginning of World War II, Q-accordion sales doubled from 2,500 pieces to 5000 (production increased this much during 1939). The external design of the instrument models was carried out by the Berlin graphic designer, Professor O.H.W. Hadank. However, during the war, in 1942, most of the staff were engaged in military service, and Cantulia was suspended until 1945.
After repairing damages from the war, the company operation went up again. In 1953, the plant employed 200–250 people and Cantulia was the second largest production facility in Siegburg after Chemie-Fraser. Production capacity ranged from 1300 to 1400 instruments per year. Due to subcontracting problems, Cantulia had to manufacture the special parts it needed and limited its accordion production to four models.
On the ground floor of the three-storey building at the factory, an accordion statue stood in front of the entrance. On the ground floor were offices and carpentry workshops. Above these were warehouses and mechanical workshops. On the top floor the instruments were tuned and finished.
In the 1950s, Cantulia competed with Hohner for the same market and was eventually acquired by Hohner to end the competition. Hohner produced only a few Cantulias before the factory was removed from the trade register on the 31st of December 1957. At the time, the factory had about 100 employees, most of whom lost their jobs, but some moved to Hohner in Trossingen. After a small idle, Siegwerk redeployed the empty factory space.
The book “Zeitaufnahme” (“era description”), published by Reinhard Zado, contains black and white photographs of Cantulia and other documents about the city’s history. The book costs 19.50 € (in 2010) in the following locations: Thalia, Kaufhof, Museum and Buergservice Rathaus (Citizen’s Service of the Town Hall).
There have also been bands based on the Cantulia brand. On the 1st of September 1951, for example, Karl Frank, a music teacher, was about to form an accordion band in Regensburg, because he wanted to give his music students the opportunity to play as an orchestra.
The association chronicle says the following about the founding members:
“It was decided to meet once a week for the exercises. According to Hohner’s best-selling accordion model ‘Cantulia’, participants were called Cantulians. The first public appearances under Karl Frank were already in December of the same year and were well received by the public.”
From 1955 to 1956, both Cantulian orchestras performed 18 times, and some concerts also performed vocal circles and performed works (adapted/composed) for the choir and accordion orchestra. Until 1966, both orchestras played music regularly in Regensburg and concerts were successes and received mostly good feedback from the Regensburg press.