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The F. Schwabe company was founded by Swiss national Theodor Borisovich Schwabe in the mid-19th century. Starting as a small shop selling glasses and other optical accessories, the company established a workshop for producing optical and physical instruments by the 1850s. In 1853, the firm made its debut at the All-Russian Manufacturing Exhibition, and in 1865, it received its first gold medal for the quality and variety of its products. Over time, production expanded to include medical, geodetic, and physical instruments, as well as educational aids. A significant portion of materials was sourced from abroad (for example, barometer components from Dubois & Casse and Otto Bohne), and the company also represented two German firms in Russia: George Buttenchon and Sartorius.
In 1873, the firm was restructured as the Trading House of F. Schwabe, with Theodor Schwabe and Albert Hamburger as its founders. After Schwabe left the business in 1880, Hamburger took the helm, transforming the enterprise into the largest producer of scientific and medical instruments in the Russian Empire.
At the 1882 All-Russian Exhibition of Art and Industry, where F. Schwabe presented a complete collection of barometers — both mercury and aneroid — the company was awarded the Russian Empire’s highest honor: the right to display the State Coat of Arms. By 1884, the firm had become a Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty.
After Albert Hamburger’s death in 1901, management passed to his wife, Mathilde Hamburger. Under her leadership, the company continued to thrive, and in 1912, it was converted into a joint-stock company. Mathilde served as the chairwoman of the board until 1915, when, under pressure from authorities, she resigned, sold her shares to Yevgeny Fyodorovich Steiner, and left for Germany.
In 1916, during World War I and amidst anti-German sentiment, the Council of Ministers ordered the liquidation of F. Schwabe Joint-Stock Company under the decree of the “Committee to Combat German Dominance.” A Special Board was appointed to manage the company’s affairs, taking over its functions on December 1 of the same year. In early 1917, the enterprise was put up for sale, marking the end of private ownership of F. Schwabe. The company was nationalized and restructured in 1917 as the Geophysics Joint-Stock Company. Following the October Revolution, the enterprise ceased operations but was incorporated into the Precision Mechanics Trust in 1922.
During the Soviet period, the Geophysics factory specialized in the production of geodetic instruments, microscopes, and later optical devices for the defense industry. In 1961, the company participated in the space program by developing the “Vzor” orientation device for Yuri Gagarin’s spacecraft “Vostok.” In the following years, the enterprise received multiple state awards for its contributions to technological innovation.
Today, the company, known as FSUE “NPP Geofizika-Kosmos,” continues its operations while preserving the historic name “Geophysics.”
