One of the most famous families among the toymakers in Seiffen are the Flaths. Karl August Flath (1821-1888) was the village's last miner, whose birth certificate and an old mining license for the family-owned Fortuna mine can still be inspected. His daughter-in-law Marie Flath (1862-1923) counts among the first manufacturers of Seiffen-style miniature carriages. She began manufacturing in 1905 with 16 different horse and carriage designs. Arthur Flath (1887-1961) took over his mother's business in 1919. When talking about the Seiffen-style miniature carriages, the he alone deserves the credit for having developed these vehicles to sheer perfection with with utmost care. In 1924 alone, nearly 24,000 of those lovable little carriages were sold all over the world. When motorization set in Arthur Flath took up production of miniature cars as well. Guenter Flath (born in 1932) took over his father's business in 1957 and continued the production of miniature carriages. His son Volker has been the owner of the firm since 1995. After 1965, the number of designs has been gradually extended, with pyramids and Christmas decoration being added to the product range. The latest addition has been a series of musical boxes with a 28-tone Swiss musical mechanism.
The tradition of the Flath family
Volker Flath - Master wood turner specializing in wooden rings
Heiko Flath - Master craftsman of toy manufacturing
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