History
THE BEGINNINGS
Our story begins in 1882: Alexander Sturm, a trained gold- and silversmith, fulfilled his dream of manufacturing his own silverware.
The Vienna Ringstrasse culture was at its zenith, and the dominant style was Historicism. The needs to represent by the upper middle-classes were satisfied by exquisite silverware. The workshops produced products that were virtuoso feats of craftsmanship of incredible stylistic diversity.
THE ERA OF THE WIENER WERKSTÄTTE
In a unique coexistence between tradition and modernity, Vienna establishes itself as the intellectual centre of Europe around 1900.
Also the Manufacture was enthusiastic about the ideas of the Wiener Werkstätte.The most important customers belonged to the intellectual elite, including families like Wittgenstein, Kohn and Mautner Markhof. It is the heyday of the silverware production.
THE SUCCESSORS
When the Wiener Werkstätte closed its gates in 1932, as the Second World War took its toll, the successors didn´t give up. In the 1950s and 60s connections were once again established with the art world avant-garde. Designs like those from the Werkbund architect Oswald Haerdtl help the Viennese silver tradition to reach new heights.
However, despite this, the year 1988 marked the end of the firm Alexander Sturm. It had lasted for over a hundred years.
THE RELAUNCH
Preserve the old to create something new: It was the vision of an innovative tradition of service that inspired George Stradiot 2008 to found the Vienna Silver Manufactur. The roots of the company go back to the year 1882 and now include an archive of 11,000 original designs, mainly from the time of the Vienna workshop. Here were masterpieces that are among the classics of design history.
Our silver boutique opened in the heart of Vienna in November 2009.