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The History of Anchor Blocks
1840 - Friedrich Froebel, originator of the kindergarten, developed the first building block set made of wood. He recognized the value of geometrical shapes for the development of children's minds. His theory was that children’s minds would be exercised by relating a three dimensional structure to a two dimensional plan. The first sets of wooden blocks were not very well made and the resulting structures often collapsed due to the inaccuracy of manufacturing.
1875 - As an alternative to the rather unstable wooden blocks, the brothers Otto and Gustav Lilienthal developed a method of manufacturing precisely shaped building blocks using quartz sand, powdered chalk and linseed oil.
From the very beginning, the sets found favour with all ages. Many adults spent a lot of time with these colourful stone blocks, and some remained fascinated all their lives, like the famous architect Walter Gropius.
1919 - At the end of World War I a small, selected group of German subsidiaries in the United States were not returned to their German owners, but were sold instead. These companies were thought of as important for Germany’s “potential to start another war.” The Americans actually considered Anker to be such a company. The reason: Anker Stone Building Blocks were considered to be a critically important factor in the development of the technical skills of Germany's youth.
1945 - Production of Anchor Blocks continued until World War II, at the end of which the factory found itself in the newly-formed Communist East Germany (GDR.)
1963 - The stones managed to survive both World Wars but production eventually ceased in 1963. The East German authorities decided to shut down the company “VEB Anker-Steinbaukasten” and the factory’s facilities were given away. Apart from a few boxes all the stones were given away for free. The rest were disposed of near the factory. Over the years, many well-preserved stones have been unearthed by Anker fans.
It is estimated that between 1880 and 1963 about 5 billion Anker Stones were sold worldwide. The “Anker” trademark was a huge international success. In all, Friedrich Ad. Richter developed about 400 different construction sets with an approximate total of 1200 different stone shape. |
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