1 mins
MECHTHILD OSSENBRUNNER
LOCATION Cologne, Germany
LUTHIER
ALL PHOTOS LIAM KAUFMANN
A peek into lutherie workshops around the world
Our workshop is situated in Ehrenfeld, on the western side of Cologne. It used to be a scruffy industrial area, but around 20 years ago it was gentrified and is now a trendy, chic area with lots of specialist shops and boutiques. My husband Reinhard and I moved our business to this building at around the same time, and were lucky to find this large space – we have around 170 sq m, with the room in the picture taking up about 100 sq m. In the 19th century the building was a lampshade factory and the workshop still retains its industrial character, such as the cast iron pillar in the centre of the room. Since then, it’s been a dance studio and the atelier of a Japanese artist before we moved in. The upper floors have all been converted into apartments.
Reinhard has made several instruments from the Baroque era, including two 1717 cellos by Pietro Giacomo Rogeri that he took from one of The Strad ’s older posters. I deal with the restoration and repair of anything that comes into the workshop. All the violins on the back wall and hanging up are waiting for some kind of restoration. I often have very nice things to work on at my bench because I take care of the instruments belonging to three foundations in the area. It is my joy to meet so many interesting and gifted young musicians.
The pandemic was a little bit scary for us; for several weeks we had no customers at all, but I used the time to get on with restorations. In the end business picked up for us, as there were some people who bought a new bow or instrument instead of going on holiday. I think it’s fortunate for us that there are so many musicians in this part of the world, with two large orchestras and a number of freelance players. There’ll always be an appetite for music!