Gościcińska Fabryka Mebli

Years active

est. 1899

Country

Poland

Location

Gościcino

The history of the factory dates back to 1899, when a joint-stock company producing chairs was established in Gdańsk. Gościcino near Wejherowo was chosen as its location: the Gdańsk–Szczecin railway line provided access to the port, nearby deciduous forests supplied raw materials, and the river powered the turbines supplying the factory. In 1907, the factory was destroyed by fire, and from 1908 it was rebuilt using the latest technology of the time. It employed between 300 and 500 people and was the most important industrial centre in the area.

After the war, production resumed as early as May 1945, and the first order was for two thousand chairs. Between 1961 and 1965, the factory was expanded with a new upholstery department, assembly hall and warehouses. During the same period, an in-house design team operated there, including Edmund Homa, designer of the GFM-64 armchairs. The GFM-87 armchair, designed by Juliusz Kędziorek, also came from Gościcino. The abbreviation GFM in model names is now the simplest clue when identifying furniture from this factory.

After 1989, the factory was transformed into the State Treasury company Gościcińska Fabryka Mebli MEGOS. In 1993, the majority of shares were bought by the German company Karl-Heinz Klose, and from 1994 the enterprise operated under the name Klose – Gościcińska Fabryka Mebli.

At MIDMOD, you will find Original armchairs and chairs from Gościcino dating from the 1960s and 1970s. See also the collections Vintage Polish Designer Armchairs and PRL Furniture.