The origin and predecessor of the company - not yet under the name TROMSA – dates back to the end of the 19th century in Bohemian Graslitz (today Kraslice in the Czech Republic).
At that time, Graslitz was part of the Austro-Hungarian Danube Monarchy and the headquarters of Austrian instrument manufacture. At that time there already existed 11 large musical instrument factories, as well as 40 smaller independent companies which either manufactured musical instruments themselves or produced its components or the large companies.
At that time Josef Sattler, master craftsman locksmith , also began to manufacture in his own workshop accessories for the instrument manufacturers . These were machine heads and endpins for cellos and double basses.
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From 1915 to 1918 Franz Sattler - one of his 5 sons - learned the craft of a Gürtler from him. (Gürtler = today's job title is metal former, metal spinning technology, locksmith)
Having worked as a Gürtler for the Josef Kühnl company from 1919-1925, Franz Sattler became self-employed in 1925, set up a locksmith's workshop in Graslitz on the ground floor of a building, rented by Julius Lehrer at Lindenplatz 650 and, like his father Josef Sattler, produced components for musical instruments.
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At what time he decided to make musical instruments himself cannot be determined with certainty.
According to unconfirmed statements, he probably took over the manufactory of drums from the first drum manufacturers in Graslitz, Johann B. Elgas and Franz Hennl (founded in 1886), when after their death there was no successor from their own families.
What is certain, however, is that on August 14, 1937 at the master examination commission in Eger, Franz Sattler passed the examination to become a master craftsman in musical instrument making.
In the years that followed, the small company flourished and finally employed 12 people plus family members.
On September 30, 1938 by means of the Munich Agreement (“Münchner Abkommen”) Great Britain, France and Italy gave the Sudetenland (which had previously belonged to Czechoslovakia) to the ‘German Reich’.
Adolf Hitler during a parade on October 4, 1938 in Graslitz (Kraslice) on the occasion of the annexation of the Sudetenland
(Bundesarchiv, Bild 137-049535 / CC-BY-SA)
During World War II, Franz Sattler was drafted into service at the Steubing company in Graslitz in 1940/1941.
His employees were either drafted for military service or committed to work at war-related companies.
Therefore his own business was suspended until the end of the war.