Hildebrand

In 1873, Max Hildebrand became a business partner of August Lingke & Compagnie in Freiberg, Saxony. He had gained experience in Paris, England and in the world-famous Berlin workshop Pistor und Martins. For several years, the devices bore the brand name Hildebrand früher August Lingke, around 1880 it was changed to Hildebrand & Schramm. The company, which manufactured a complete range of products, including mining measuring instruments and tools, was under his leadership achieved an excellent position on the market. Let us recall the so-called Freiber ball, which allows the forced centering of the theodolite with an accuracy of 0.05 mm, or a repetitive mining theodolite. The company equipped  the unsuccessful polar expedition of the Swedish airman Salomon August Andrée in 1897 with a precise theodolite.

During the crisis after World War I, the company Hildebrand-Wichmann-Werke was established in 1921 by merging with the well-known Berlin company. It had  a wide range of production, including office and laboratory supplies. After 1950, the plant was called VEB Freiberger Präzisions-Mechanik (FPM).