VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke (KHW) was a state-owned company in Klingenthal, East Germany, where accordions, harmonicas, and electronic instruments were produced.
The company was founded on the 1st of January 1949, when several companies were forced under a state-owned company (e.g. F.A. Rauner). As this was a state company, the volume of the production was also accordingly larger. In 1961, as many as 125,578 accordions were made, which were exported to more than 40 different countries. In 1964, VEB Vermona was incorporated into KHW. In 1972, 17 new companies were nationalised by connecting them to the KHW-company. The most well-known accordion brands were Weltmeister and Vermona.
In 1990, VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke was privatised. Several new companies were created. Such companies include: HDB electronic GmbH, which consisted of Veromona and Harmona Akkordeon GmbH, which made Weltmeister accordions.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VEB_Klingenthaler_Harmonikawerke (26.3.2020)