Hohner: Trossinger traditional company celebrated as a world market leader!

Hohner: Trossinger traditional company celebrated as a world market leader!

Trossingen, Deutschland - Hohner, the traditional company from Trossingen, was founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner and has developed into the world's leading brand for chralonic harmonicas. The company is not only known for the production of mouth harmonicas, but also for accordions, melodicas and recorder. Hohner produces instruments both machine and manual work, with the voice plate of the harmonica consists of a secret brass mixture. Around one million harmonica leave the work every year, which employs a total of 117 people and exports to 80 countries. Hohner has been part of the Taiwanese KHS Group since 1997.

A unique feature of Hohner is that the company offers original spare parts for accordions from the 1940s to 1960s and also carries out maintenance and service for instruments. The harmonica is trained internally and can take up to two years. Hohner is always looking for specialists who are ideally musicians themselves, and even offers his employees lessons for harmonica and accordion.

musicians and innovations

Among the prominent artists who use Hohner instruments are legends such as Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder. For Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel, Hohner even made special harmonica. Another remarkable product from Hohner is the "Little Lady", which is considered the smallest playable harmonica in the world and was also played in space; Walter Schirra used it during space mission on Gemini 6.

The history of the harmonica is deeply rooted in the European musical instrument building. Inspired by the principles of freedom -swinging tongues, which were already around 2500 BC. BC used in Chinese Sheng, the harmonica developed around 1800 AD. The first 20-ton 10 hole mund harmonica became popular in the early 1820s, and the first Tossingen lunches were produced by Christian Messner after Matthias Hohner started manufacturing in Trossingen in 1857. The mass production of mouth harmonica started in Trossingen from around 1830 and reached an impressive number of 25 million per year until 1925.

World harmonica festival 2025

A highlight in Hohner's calendar is the world harmonica festival that takes place every four years, which will take place in Trossingen this year from October 29 to November 2. This festival is presented by Hohner and attracts participants from around 35 nations, with several thousand expected guests. In addition to competitions and exhibitions, visitors are offered a varied program with appearances and workshops.

among the artists who have been announced for the festival can be found international talents such as Yoonseok Lee from South Korea, Antonio Serrano from Spain and Risa Minami from Japan as well as numerous other aspiring and legendary musicians from all over the world. The event not only offers the possibility of exchange, but also a platform for the presentation of the variety of harmonica culture.

The path of Hohner, which has been at the top of the harmonica production for over a century, illustrates not only the innovative strength, but also the tradition that the company has shaped. The constant focus on quality and craftsmanship confirms Hohner Status as the world market leader in the musical instrument industry.