| Zeiss
Ikon in its heyday was a huge conglomerate of German camera
manufacturers. Founded in Jena, in 1846, Carl Zeiss was a
manufacturer of microscopes, telescopes and other scientific
instruments. In 1902 with the acquisition of Palmos A.G. the long
association of Zeiss with camera manufacturing began. In 1926, Zeiss
Ikon was born with the merger of Carl Zeiss in Jena with Ica, Ernemann,
Goerz and several other camera manufacturers. Several of the companies
who were part of the marger had factories in Dresden so the
headquarters for the new conglomerate was set up in that city. Zeiss
continued to manufacture both cameras as well as other optical products
up through 1942 when the scarcity of materials put a temporary halt to
production. After World War II the Soviet Occupied territory included both Jena and Dresden. For awhile there were two entities called Zeiss Ikon: One in USSR Occupied Germany with lens manufacturing in Jena and cameras made in both Dresden and Jena; and a second Zeiss Ikon based in Stuttgart in the western part, or US Occupied part of Germany, at the old Contessa Nettel factory. During the decade of the 1950's much legal wrangling ensued over the Zeiss Ikon trademark with the Stuttgart Zeiss Ikon prevailing. After 1959, The state owned camera manufacturing in Dresden and Jena evolved into Pentacon VEB with lens manufacturing at Jena still called Carl Zeiss Jena after the original pre-merger company of the early 1900's. Camera manufacturing (Stuttgart) ceased in 1971, however, the Zeiss name continues on with the manufacturing of microscopes and other optical products in a reunified Germany (and Zeiss). |