Olympia Mod. 8 (1933)

The Olympia
 
First year of production: 1933
 
Company:  Allgemeinen Elektrizitaets-Gesellschaft (AEG,) Erfurt, Germany
 
Often referred to as the Mercedes Benz of typewriters, the Olympia typewriter has historically been proven to be a popular choice with authors, Hollywood filmmakers, and now, with many working models still available, antique collectors and vintage typewriter enthusiasts. 
 
Despite the fact that the typewriter industry was seen to be dominated by the American giants such as Remington and Smith-Corona, this West German brand had long been famous for its portability, comfort, reliability and colourful designs. 
 
The Olympia brand began life in Berlin in 1903 when European General Electric (AEG) sought to develop a German-made typewriter to capitalise on the demand for typewriters. The first model, the Mignon mechanical typewriter, failed to make a dent in the market, mainly due to its high price being too expensive for many customers at the time.
 
AEG, however, continued to improve and develop upon the original design and the result was the 1912 launch of the Mignon “AA” line. Despite these improvements, the first real commercial success for the brand did not come until 1921 with the release of the popular Model 3. Following this success, the company set up its factory in Erfurt, Germany.
 
By 1933, the company had changed its name to Olympia in honour of the last Mignon model, the Olympia Plurotyp. During this changeover period, the Model 7 and Model 8 typewriters were marketed under both the Olympia and AEG names.
 
Towards the end of the 1930’s the brand continued to gain popularity as cheaper models such as the Model 8a and 8b were released. The company also broke new ground with the release of a one-handed version of the Model 8 typewriter for disabled users. Olympia, however, was soon to find itself tested as World War Two broke out in Europe.
 
Although the Olympia factory survived the capture of Berlin by Allied forces, following the Soviet takeover when the new East German government took control and renamed the company Optima, a number of employees fled to West Germany and in 1948 re-established the company in Wilhelmshaven. A location where they continued to produce typewriters until production ended in 1992.