An inside look at the Petrof piano factory

The Petrof piano is a Czech national treasure. The first one was constructed 158 years ago by Antonin Petrof. Under Czechoslovakia’s communist regime, the Petrof family underwent many hardships, but today, they lead the largest producer of grand pianos in Europe. FTV reporter Stephany Yang visited the Petrof piano factory in Prague to learn the history of the family business and how Petrof pianos are made.

We start the tour in the milling room where workers cut wood. Each piano is made of more than 7,000 pieces. The trees used in them are sourced from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Italy. The trees are spruce, beech, or maple that are at least 80 years old.

Zdnek Sovak
Petrof product manager
The most important things in the pianos is for example, the material, which is very important construction of the piano itself. As you could see, we need to have very skilled workers who can build the pianos and do a lot of handwork which we do here in Petrof. We are trying to produce most the components themselves. As you can see, about 80% of the production is made by hand.

Petrof produces 80% of their pianos by hand. At the metal shop, the cast frames are manually sanded with meticulous care.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
It takes eight hours to install piano keys for a regular piano, and three days for a grand piano.

To achieve the right sound, workers adjust the density of the felts, using hammers to strike the strings to produce a brighter tone.

Zdnek Sovak
Product manager
During the process, one of the most important things about the Petrof sound is the voicing itself. You can see it takes a very long time and is a very difficult and demanding job. For the workers, you have to hear very well and need to have a lot of experience to know how to work with the single hammerheads.

The Petro family business was founded in 1864 by Antonin Petrof. Susan Petrof, the current president of the Petrof company, represents the family’s fifth generation. She says that over the decades, some of their production methods have changed. But their work ethic and determination to make their pianos by hand has remained the same.

Susan Petrof
Petrof president
Our company will be 160 years old in two years. My great-great grandfather established the company in 1864. I''m the fifth generation. My daughter is already here, the sixth generation. Time is changing but our knowledge and diligence stay the same. We would like to pass our information through generations. We still build nice pianos with romantic tones.

Petrof is currently the largest producer of upright and grand pianos in Europe. Despite its success, the business has had its share of hardships throughout the years. Susan said 1948 was a difficult year for the Petrof Factory. That was the year the Communist Party seized power.

Susan Petrof
Petrof president
In 1948, in February, our government took over the company, and was a state company. Our family members had no possibility to continue in the business again. So we stopped the business for 50 years. After the revolution in 1989, we started again the privatization process. My father, the fourth generation, started to do the privatization process for all of us. It took eight years.

Another challenge was in 2020. During a visit to Taiwan in 2020, Czech Senate President Milos Vystricil declared “I am Taiwanese” in a speech. The statement angered China, prompting a Chinese importer to cancel an order for 11 Petrof pianos worth NT$7 million. But a former Taiwanese diplomat Maysing Yang purchased a grand piano and donated it to the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague.

Susan Petrof
Petrof president
This best piano was given to our Czech philharmonic by Ms. Maysing Yang, which I appreciate very much because it was a symbol of democracy. Thank you very much for that.

In 2013, Ivana Petrof, who is of the family’s fifth generation, opened the Petrof Museum. The museum showcases pianos from different time periods. One of the oldest pianos on display was built in 1867.

Ivana Petrof
Museum director
These oldest models have to be in good condition. We represent for the next generation. So when we take care of these pieces to have good condition which means humidity and temperature. You will find some humidfier are here. And also, some conservation which are some kind of locker. Also, we are only using naturual materials to keep them protected.

Ivana Petrof says she hopes the museum will educate both visitors and future employees about the history of her family’s company.

Ivana Petrof
Museum director
We opened a museum in 2013. Our idea was to keep the heritage and keep the knowledge for the next generation. They have to have some kind of information to fluently cont