Erenpreis, Gustav

Born on August 5, 1891 in Mazsalac , Latvia, which at that time was part of the Livonia province of the Russian Empire in the family of the Latvian workers Libya and Anna. Gustav's father was a coachman in the local estate of Walterberg.

After graduating from a vocational school in 1907, Gustav Erenpreis was hired by the Eduard Berzins bicycle workshop in Riga, which produced Baltija bicycles and motorcycles, and also sold English Triumph and Douglas motorcycles in the Baltic States. During his work, Gustav introduced new technological solutions and was appointed technical director of the bicycle workshop. In June 1915, during the First World War , the workshop was evacuated to Kharkov , Gustav was also evacuated. After the war, neither desktops, nor tools, nor financing were preserved to restore the former workshop, but in 1921, returning to Riga from evacuation, Gustav Erenprays began creating his own enterprise. He earned his first capital by repairing and selling several cars abandoned by the Bermont army .

At the beginning of 1922, the G. Ērenpreis Bicycle and Motorcycle Workshop was opened in Riga, on Alexandra Street (now Brivibas Street ), next to the Vidzeme Market. It was here that the first bicycles of the Erenpreis bicycle workshop were made under the already famous Baltija brand. Due to the lack of space and the lack of modern work desks, in 1924 the Gustav Erenpreiss bicycle workshop moved to new, more spacious premises in the building of the former Alexander Leitner bicycle factory, on 129/133 Brivibas Street. In 1926, in order to expand production and improve quality, the G. G. Ērenpreiss un Biedris ”, which began to produce new Omega bicycles. However, at the end of the year, Gustav Erenpries leaves the new joint-stock company after a conflict with its partners. In early 1927, the new Gustavs Ērenpreiss bicycle factory was opened on 82 Brivibas Street, which initially launched the new brand G. брендrenpreis Īstais (the real G. Ērenpreis ), but this created confusion, and shortly afterwards the name of the bike was changed, and the Ērenpreis Original bike appeared on the market . The new Ērenpreis Original bike quickly gained popularity in society, and in 1931, Erenprais began the construction of a bicycle factory.

During the Second World War , after the occupation of Latvia in 1940, the factory was nationalized, and Gustav Erenprais was removed from office. During the German occupation, G. Ehrenprise in 1943 received the plant back, but at the end of 1944 he was forced to flee to Germany. During the Soviet occupation of Latvia, the factory was renamed the State Bicycle Plant " Sarkana Zveigzne " (Red Star). In 1956, Gustav Erenpriis died in Detmold. ^[one]

Gustav Erenprais was awarded the Order of the Three Stars ^[2] and the Cross of Recognition. ” ^[3]

Gustav Erenprais’s work in the bicycle industry is currently being developed by the great-grandson of Gustav’s brother Arnold Erenpreis, Tom Erenprise, who designs and manufactures new Erenpreiss bicycles. ^[four]