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The company Gischard was founded in Hamburg in 1874 by two men: master craftsman Christian Julius Friedrich Gischard and entrepreneur J. Heinrich Saul. Surviving documents suggest that the creation of the firm may have been linked to a reorganization of an earlier barometer business: in late 1873, partner Johann Karl Wolff left one Hamburg workshop, and the business passed to the “remaining participants” – Gischard and Saul. Thus, in 1874 the new firm Gischard & Saul began its activity as a specialized barometer workshop (Barometerfabrik) in Hamburg. The production of Gischard & Saul consisted of meteorological and surgical instruments.
Julius Gischard (as C. J. F. Gischard was often called) was an experienced mechanic whose name later became the company’s brand. His partner Heinrich Saul played an administrative and commercial role in the company’s development. Already in its first decades, the enterprise established itself as one of the leading barometer manufacturers in Hamburg.
A few years later H. Saul left the company. In 1887 Heinrich Eutert joined the firm as an apprentice and began his remarkable career. In 1910, after the death of his father-in-law J. Gischard, he was appointed managing director of Gischard GmbH.
Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, the fate of the company passed to the Eutert family, whose representatives guided its development for several generations. In 1919 Herbert Eutert joined the company, followed in 1929 by Henry Eutert Sr. Heinrich Eutert remained the sole head of the firm, and in 1923 the company was renamed “J. Gischard Nachf.” (meaning “Successor of Gischard,” indicating continuity with the former owner). After Heinrich Eutert’s death in 1938, management passed to his wife Ella Eutert (née Gischard), together with Herbert and Henry Eutert Sr.
The period of the First World War brought rising demand for altimeters for the new military aviation and artillery, which stimulated the development of this branch of production. Likely, Gischard, like other instrument makers, received military contracts for altimeters and barometers for the air force.
During the Second World War, the factory shifted to the production of sphygmomanometers, sensitive aneroid capsules, and eyeglass cases. Hamburg suffered bombing raids, but the company’s strong family bonds enabled it to endure the harsh wartime and postwar years, recover, and rebuild operations.
The postwar years were marked by recovery and modernization. In the 1950s–60s Gischard introduced new materials (such as plastics for housings) and styles. Products appeared in the mid-century modern spirit – streamlined brass barometers and combined instruments in contemporary design. At the same time, the firm remained loyal to classic forms, continuing to produce decorative carved weather stations and “ship’s wheels,” which were popular with enthusiasts of nautical aesthetics.
From 1953 the factory was located in Barmbek on Wagnerstraße 62, later moving to a new building on Flachsland 10. In 1955 Jürgen Eutert joined the business, followed in 1962 by his brother Henry Eutert Jr.
In 1959, Gischard published a substantial product catalogue No. 59 in English – clear evidence that the company was targeting the international market and had clients worldwide (including the USA and Commonwealth countries). The catalogue presented a wide range of barometers, weather stations, and altimeters, adapted to different tastes.
After the death of senior owner Mrs. Ella Eutert in 1969, the company was reorganized into a limited partnership (KG) and continued operations under the traditional name “J. Gischard Nachf.”, managed by Jürgen and Henry Eutert Jr.
By the 1980s demand for traditional analog barometers began to decline due to competition from electronic home weather instruments and cheap imports. Nevertheless, Gischard retained the reputation of an “old Hamburg manufactory,” emphasizing quality over mass production. The last significant milestone was the publication in 1986 of the firm’s final catalogue No. 86. Its preface summed up more than a century of history and emphasized that over “100 years of experience” guaranteed the highest standards of craftsmanship and design.
From its foundation, Gischard specialized in the production of barometers – primarily aneroid barometers, which had replaced bulky mercury instruments. In early 20th-century advertisements the firm styled itself as a “Metall-Barometer-Fabrik”, emphasizing the use of metal aneroids. Gischard barometers were renowned for their precision: the company itself described its products as “Präzisions-Messinstrumente” (precision measuring instruments). The range included a wide variety of domestic barometers and weather stations.
In addition to household instruments, Gischard produced pocket altimeters for mountaineers, hikers, and aviators. Gischard altimeters were also installed in automobiles (for example, in the 1960s the company produced chrome-plated car altimeters for mountain driving enthusiasts). The company also manufactured related instruments: thermometers, hygrometers, marine barometers for ships, and even ship’s clocks.
The instruments often bore the distinctive company mark – the “JG” monogram woven into the silhouette of the Hamburg city gate.
In conclusion, Gischard entered history as one of Hamburg’s oldest and most respected firms in the field of meteorological instruments. Founded in 1874 and operating for more than a century, it journeyed from a small artisan workshop of the Imperial era to a modern producer of precision aneroid barometers, preserving its traditions of quality throughout.