The history of the violin-making school
The Swiss School of Violin Making was founded in Brienz in 1944. The location was no coincidence: Brienz has a long tradition of woodcarving. When the tourism industry collapsed in the first half of the 20th century, the search began for new prospects for local craftsmanship. The idea of supplementing woodcarving with violin making and the production of accessories for stringed and plucked instruments was the starting point for the school.
The Swiss School of Violin Making was founded on the initiative of Prof. Dr. Heinrich Hanselmann, a remedial teacher, music lover, and owner of a significant collection of Swiss violins, and Dr. Max Gafner, a government councillor and Bernese director of economic affairs. Together, they established the "Association of Friends of the Swiss Violin" in 1943, which served as the first sponsor of the newly founded educational institution that began operations on July 1, 1944—under the most modest of conditions.
In the 1950s, the small violin-making school moved into the basement of the Brienz Woodcarving School. Shortly thereafter, it became the "Cantonal School of Violin Making" as a department of the Brienz Woodcarving School. In 1982, it moved to its current location at Oberdorfstrasse 94, in the "Glaserhaus." The building was specially renovated for this purpose and expanded with an annex for the teaching workshop.
In the 1990s, the school faced another difficult situation: due to cantonal budget cuts, its closure was mandated for the year 2000. Thanks to the great commitment of people from Brienz and professional circles, the "Save the Violin Making School" committee succeeded in creating the conditions for private sponsorship. Since 1998, the violin-making school has existed as a private teaching workshop and is supported by the Swiss School of Violin Making Foundation.
Today, the Swiss School of Violin Making is a modern place of education with deep historical roots. Since the renovation in 2017–18, the school has had the entire property at Oberdorfstrasse 94 at its disposal. Generations of teachers and school directors have shaped and developed the school—from Adolf König, the school's first director, to Hans Rudolf Hösli and Simon Glaus, who played a key role in managing the transition to private sponsorship and expanding the current school operations.
