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Press Release22 November 2016Siemens AGMunich
Siemens celebrates 200th birthday of company founder Werner von Siemens
"I'm very pleased that Chancellor Angela Merkel will be attending our ceremony in Berlin, where we'll be celebrating Werner von Siemens' achievements. Werner von Siemens was among the key individuals who blazed the trail to the modern age. His entrepreneurial mindset, ingenuity and enthusiasm laid the foundation for this enterprise and remain crucial pillars of our company culture to this day. Werner von Siemens' pioneering achievements brought lasting change to everyday lives," said Joe Kaeser.
At the Siemens location in Berlin an exhibition is commemorating the life of the inventor and entrepreneur. Werner von Siemens discovered the dynamo-electric principle and is regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern electrical engineering. On October 12, 1847, Werner Siemens and Johann Georg Halske founded "Telegraphen Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske" in Berlin, the company from which today's Siemens AG would later emerge. Operations began with ten employees in a rear courtyard in Berlin. In addition to telegraphs, this small workshop primarily manufactured railway electric signal-bell systems, cable insulation and water meters. Within just a few decades, it had advanced to become one of the world's largest electrical engineering and technology firms. At the time of Werner von Siemens' death, the company had 6,500 employees around the world and operated regional businesses in the UK, France, Austria, Hungary, Russia and the U.S.
Werner von Siemens was born in Lenthe, near Hanover, in 1816. He was the fourth of 14 children in a tenant-farming family. A three-year training program at the Artillerie- und Ingenieurschule (Artillery and Engineering School) in Berlin provided a solid foundation for his future work in what was then the new field of electrical engineering. His most important inventions included the pointer telegraph (1847), the world's first electric railway (1879) and the world's first electric trolleybus (1882). In addition, he is considered the discoverer of the dynamo-electric principle, which he presented to the public in January 1867. Werner von Siemens was instrumental in the establishment of Germany's foundational legal framework for protecting commercial rights to technical innovations. He was also ahead of his time in the area of social policy: in 1872, he set up a Pension, Widows' and Orphans' Fund at his company. In 1888, German Emperor Friedrich III elevated him to the nobility. Werner von Siemens died in his home in the Charlottenburg section of Berlin just a few days before his 76th birthday on December 6, 1892.
You will find further information in our press feature: http://www.siemens.com/press/200years-wvs
and on the history site dedicated to Werner von Siemens:
http://www.siemens.com/history/en/werner_von_siemens_bicentennial.htm
http://www.siemens.com/history/en/werner_von_siemens_bicentennial.htm
For this press release
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2016, which ended on September 30, 2016, Siemens generated revenue of €79.6 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2016, the company had around 351,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
Reference Number: PR2016110096COEN
Contact
Michael Friedrich
Siemens AG
Charlottenstr. 57
10117 Berlin
Germany
10117 Berlin
Germany
+49 (30) 386-24187