Carl Walther
Encyclopedia
Carl William Freund Walther (22 November 1858 – 9 July 1915) was a German
gunsmith
from Zella-Mehlis
, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, who founded the firm of Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen, generally known as Walther, in 1886.
Walther's father, August Theodor Albert Walther, was a brass and iron caster. His mother, Rosalie Wilhelmine Amalie Pistor, came from the gunsmith family of Pistor, and was the daughter of William Pistor. Walther studied under gunsmith Willibald Barthelmes, and later under Albin Schneider. He worked making Mauser
rifles for the Jopp company in Zella-Mehlis. In autumn 1886 he opened his own gunshop in Zella-Mehlis and soon hired additional workmen to meet the demand for the sports (target) rifles he made. His rifles were based on the Martini-Henry
design. In 1888, he married Minna Georgine Pickert, the daughter of the revolver manufacturer Christian Friedrich Pickert, and they had five sons.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
gunsmith
Gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms. This occupation is different from an armorer. The armorer primarily maintains weapons and limited repairs involving parts replacement and possibly work involving accurization...
from Zella-Mehlis
Zella-Mehlis
Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walther arms weapons factory. It remained there until the...
, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
, who founded the firm of Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen, generally known as Walther, in 1886.
Walther's father, August Theodor Albert Walther, was a brass and iron caster. His mother, Rosalie Wilhelmine Amalie Pistor, came from the gunsmith family of Pistor, and was the daughter of William Pistor. Walther studied under gunsmith Willibald Barthelmes, and later under Albin Schneider. He worked making Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
rifles for the Jopp company in Zella-Mehlis. In autumn 1886 he opened his own gunshop in Zella-Mehlis and soon hired additional workmen to meet the demand for the sports (target) rifles he made. His rifles were based on the Martini-Henry
Martini-Henry
The Martini-Henry was a breech-loading single-shot lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini , with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry...
design. In 1888, he married Minna Georgine Pickert, the daughter of the revolver manufacturer Christian Friedrich Pickert, and they had five sons.
External links
- "History of the Carl Walther GmbH" from the official Walther website