The Knauf family from Germany owns one of the world’s leading suppliers of gypsum and related construction materials. The family business was founded in 1932 by Alfons and Karl Knauf. Today, Knauf operates over 250 production facilities, with offices in over 80 countries.
Brothers Alfons and Karl began the family business by securing the mining rights to gypsum deposits in Germany’s Schengen community. One year later, in 1933, they built their first gypsum factory.
In the early 1980s, Nikolaus and Baldwin Knauf took over management of the company their fathers had founded. In 2008, the cousins moved to supervise the company’s shareholder committee, alternating as chairman and vice-chairman.
Today, Baldwin’s son, Alexander, oversees the management of the Knauf family’s group of companies. He and four other grandchildren of the founders represent the third generation of the Knauf family to serve in the firm’s management.
Known for their appreciation of art, the Knauf Museum was opened in 1983 in Iphofen, Germany, and houses one of the world’s most famous relief collections of art from the ancient era. Around 30,000 patrons visit the Knauf Museum annually.
