History of Shvabe
One can trace the roots of the Russian optics industry to 1837, when German Theodore Schwabe opened his store to trade in foreign-made eyeglasses and optical instruments. Shvabe’s business, which became, over time, an optics manufacturer, survived the toughest moments in the history of our nation, including World War I and World War II. In wartime, the company’s products were helping to defend the country.
Theodor Shvabe opened his unique company in 1837 in the most prestigious trading place in Moscow. On the main shopping street, the innovative entrepreneur placed his trading company and a workshop for the production and sales of optical equipment. For the citizens of Moscow, Shvabe was not only a merchant selling glasses and pince-nez - he left his mark on the history of the capital as a humanist enlightener. It was Shvabe Company that acquainted Moscow with the phonograph invented by Thomas Edison.
One of the first astronomical observatories in Russia was also established thanks to the assistance of Theodor Shvabe. On the roof of the building where this company was located, there was a small astronomical tower with hatches in the dome, and from those hatches people could observe the stars with the help of spyglasses. From the very first years of his activity, the talented entrepreneur Theodor Shvabe managed to gain the citizens' respect. His company became a place where people came not only to improve their vision, but also to acquaint themselves with the state-of-the-art inventions of the time.
In the mid 19th century, Shvabe Company produced all types of optical devices known at that time. The customers were offered not only glasses and magnifying glasses, but also a wide variety of goods for photography and daguerreotype: objectives, lenses, folding tripods, daguerreotype plates, photographic paper.
In 1853, Shvabe Company took part in the Russia-Wide Manufacture Trade Show displaying a large telescope, a number of microscopes, scales, and sundials. The début was successful: Theodor Shvabe was awarded the Great Silver Medal, and it was noted in the prize paper that Theodor Shvabe, a Moscow merchant of the 3rd guild, was highly appraised "for excellent optical, physical, and mathematical tools and instruments manufactured by his company that gained mass popularity in a short period of time and is currently the leader in Moscow." After participation in the Russia-Wide Manufacture Trade Show, Shvabe Company became one of the major suppliers of optical and physical devices to the Royal Household.
Since then, Shvabe Company regularly took part in industrial exhibitions. In 1865, in Moscow, the 13-th All-Russia Exhibition of the Products of Russian Manufacture took place, where Shvabe was awarded the Gold Medal. Kuznetsky Most street, where Shvabe Company was located, became the first Moscow street with gas lighting. It was the end of 1865, and in 1883, electrical street lighting came to the streets of the capital. It is interesting that today one of the spheres of Shvabe Holding's activity is the production of lighting equipment for the urban environment.
In 1873, Shvabe Company was transformed into the Th. Shvabe Merchant House. By 1882, 100 people worked at the optical company, and its annual output was worth 125,000 rubles. At that time, this was a huge amount (the average wage of a worker in Russia was 15 rubles). Participation in another Russia-Wide Industrial Exhibition was a landmark in the history of Th. Shvabe Merchant House. The company presented its products in two exhibition sections: "Scientific devices and instruments" and "Medical accessories," and today both of these spheres are the leading areas in the activities of Shvabe Holding.
Following the results of the All-Russia Industrial Exhibition of 1882, Th.Shvabe company was awarded the right to display the national emblem on its products and banners. Thus, in the late 19th century, Th.Shvabe Merchant House was an innovative company and manufactured state-of-the-art products at that time - and to this day the company presents modern equipment at specialized international exhibitions.
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