Max Grundig was born on May 7, 1908, in Nuremberg, where he grew up in modest circumstances with his mother and three sisters following the early death of his father, Max Emil. At the age of 16, he became interested in the radio, a medium that was just coming into vogue. After initially tinkering in his own apartment, he finally turned his hobby into a career in 1930 and opened a specialty store for radio equipment in Fürth with a business partner.
The business thrived. Grundig soon employed his three sisters, bought out his partner, and by 1938 was already producing 30,000 small transformers.
Max Grundig’s true rise to becoming a leading entrepreneur in consumer electronics began after World War II. On May 15, 1945, using machinery and supplies from the war era, Grundig opened a production facility for universal transformers at Jakobinerstraße 24 in Fürth – the seed of what would later become his global corporation.
By 1952, Max Grundig was Europe’s largest manufacturer of radio sets and the world’s largest producer of tape recorders. Gradually, televisions and dictation machines were added to the product portfolio. In 1971, the company was converted into a stock corporation, Grundig AG. A few years later, the company already employed over 38,000 people.
In the second half of the 1970s, the video recorder brought another innovation to the consumer electronics market, and with it, competitors from Japan and later from other countries in the Far East made a massive entry into the global market. In 1979, Max Grundig decided to allow the Dutch competitor Philips to acquire a minority stake in his company. Five years later, he initiated a fundamental restructuring of the ownership structure of the Grundig companies, which was completed two decades later.
Max Grundig passed away on December 8, 1989, in Baden-Baden. The Grundig brand has survived worldwide to this day – as a product name for innovative consumer electronics devices. Max Grundig was not only the legendary entrepreneur of the economic miracle years. He was also a figure who felt committed to the well-being of society. It is thanks to him that we acquired the former sanatorium on the Bühlerhöhe, our beautiful clinic – the Max Grundig Clinic.
How can we help you?
-
News from the Clinic
Stay up to date with the latest news about the clinic.
-
The Max Grundig Clinic's Approach
Experience high-quality medical care with a personal touch.
-
Explore the FAQs
We'll answer your questions for you.