Johann Goldfuß

Who was Johann Goldfuß?

Johann Goldfuß was a German luthier. Born in Bohemia, he studied his craft with Mathias Heinicke, who was one of the main representatives of the school of luthiers of Saxony-Bohemia. Johann Goldfuß worked with Heinicke for 17 years, becoming himself a master craftsman. His work was interrupted during World War II, when he was drafted and then taken prisoner of war.

When he was released, in 1949, he found out that his family had been expelled from Czechoslovakia and had moved to Schwandorf, Bavaria. He started his craft again, first repairing violins and eventually opened a new workshop for violins. His wife Katharina was able to go back to Czechoslovakia and to smuggle to his new homeland the tools which had been left behind. He built over 300 violins, violas and cellos which were known for the outstanding uniformity of their sounds. Concerned about the acoustic improvement of his instruments, in 1969 he used for the first time the golden ratio in the design of violins.