Olympia

Olympia-Werke AG was an important German manufacturer of typewriters and other office equipment. Since the plant in near Wilhelmshaven was closed in 1991, only the brand name has survived.

==Beginnings (1903–1945)== thumb|A chart depicting the development of the typewriter, produced by Olympia-Büromaschinenwerke thumb|An Olympia typewriter, photographed in Duwisib Castle thumb|Brunsviga 20 adding machine manufactured by Olympia-Werke As typewriters became increasingly popular in Germany in the early 20th century, the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) in Berlin commissioned Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck, an electrical engineer, to develop such a device. Hefner-Alteneck then designed the Mignon, an inexpensive pointer typewriter that was not only affordable for larger companies, but also for craftsmen and private individuals. On 15 August 1903, Olympia-Werke was founded as the Union Schreibmaschinen-Gesellschaft m.b.H. to sell the Mignon. Beginning in 1930, the company traded as Europa Schreibmaschinen AG ( Europa Typewriters AG); internationally, the products were sold under the trademark Olympia. The last "Mignon" from 1933 was called the Olympia-Plurotyp. On 31 December 1936, the company's name was changed to Olympia Büromaschinenwerke AG ( Olympia Office Machine Works).