Ole Kirk Christiansen is one of Denmark's most famous entrepreneurs. He is the founder of perhaps the most famous Scandinavian company in this country - LEGO. Christiansen is also credited as the inventor who became the firm's main idea generator.
Inventor's biography
Ole Kirk Christiansen was born in 1891. He was born in Filkov, Denmark. This is a small village where his parents lived. It is located in the western part of the country, in Jutland. Grew up in a large farming family, in which Ole Kirk Christiansen was the tenth child.
In the family, the older children raised and taught the younger ones. At the age of 14, Ole Kirk Christiansen studied with his older brother. He taught him primarily carpentry.
Leaving my father's house
In 1911, Ole Kirk Christiansen, whose photo is in this article, leaves his home. Yes, and generally leaves Denmark. He goes to work abroad as a carpenter. First working in Germany, then moving to Norway.
After five years, an important event occurs in the biography of Ole KirkChristiansen - he returns to Denmark. By this time, he manages to save enough money to acquire the ownership of a lumberyard and a carpentry shop in Billund. Here he settles and opens a wood shop. In 1916, another important event in the life of Christiansen takes place - he marries. His wife's name is Kirstin Sørensen, whom he meets in Norway while working as a carpenter.
Christiansen's personal life
The couple has four sons. Almost nothing is known about the oldest Johannes. But the rest of the children of the hero of our article became prominent businessmen, helping their father in his company.
Karl Georg Kirk, born in 1919, was promoted to head of the plastics department at the LEGO Company at the age of 38. Three years later, he founded his own company with his brother called Bilofix. Gerhard Kirk actively helped him in this.
Also famous was Gottfried, who occupied the head of the Lego Group in 1957-1959. The founder's grandson and son of Gottfried Kjell Kirk Christiansen has been the company's CEO since 1979. He retired only in 2004.
Ole Kirk had to raise his sons almost alone. In 1932, his wife died and he was left alone with four small children.
Founding a company
Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen started his own business in the early 1930s in Denmark. He started by making items foreveryday use. At the same time, ladders and ironing boards brought him the greatest profit in this business, they were in the highest demand.
Initially, his son Gottfried worked with him in the company, who was only 12 years old when he joined the company. When the financial crisis hit, things took a turn for the worse. It was then that they decided to switch to the production of wooden toys. Christiansen named his company LEGO. In fact, this is an abbreviation that combines parts of two Danish words, which means "play" and "good" in translation.
The wooden toy business developed slowly, with just seven employees in the early 1930s. Over time, the word LEGO has become not only the name of the company, but also a brand that is known all over the world today. At the same time, Christiansen and his son were engaged in the production of miniature toy sets of furniture and wooden vans.
Fire during the war
During the Second World War, the entire Danish economy was in crisis, and Christiansen's company was no exception. In addition, in 1942, his factory burned down almost to the ground. Only after some time Ole managed to restore it, this time he built more impressive buildings.
By the mid-1940s, it was a classic family business that had grown to 40 employees.
Plastic cubes
The real revolution in the company occurred in 1947, when it was decided to make blocks for toys notwooden, but plastic. Christiansen, of course, risked a lot, but nevertheless decided to start exploring new areas of business.
Another feature was that the cubes had special pins with which they could be connected to each other. This is how the world's first LEGO bricks were born. A photo of Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of a successful company, was instantly on the front pages of newspapers because the designers became incredibly popular.
At the same time, the production of the same LEGO bricks that children and adults play to this day began in 1953. The LEGO brand was registered in Denmark the following year (May 1st). At that time, Ole had already retired, officially the director of the company was his son named Gottfried. He received this position on the day he turned 31.
The founder of LEGO himself was already seriously ill by that time. In 1951, he had a stroke, after which his he alth began to rapidly deteriorate every day and never recovered.
After reaching the age of 66, Ole Kirk Christiansen died in March 1958. The company he founded is still successfully operating, being one of the largest and most influential in the production of designers for children. The main feature of these toys is that throughout all these years the cubes have been made according to one strictly defined standard, observing a high degree of accuracy. Therefore, the cubes that are produced today can be docked with their counterparts without any problems,released in 1958, when the first LEGO in the current sense of the word appeared.
At first, the company's products were produced only in Denmark, but now the production facilities have been partially transferred to the Czech Republic, China and Mexico.
