In the year 1914, the world welcomed the creation of the 35mm photography as Oskar Barnack created the very first Leica, the Leitz Camera. This year marks Leica’s 100th year and their centennial looks to be a fantastic year. Recently Dr Andreas Kaufmann, chairman of the Supervisory Board and majority shareholder at Leica Camera AG, summarised the history of Leica: “No other brand has so crucially shaped and influenced the past 100 years of photography like Leica has – by continuing to provide photographers with the best tools and superb lenses to match them. For this reason, it is only logical that we will be celebrating our centennial with numerous renowned photographers from around the globe and shining a spotlight on their work.”
Alfred Schopf, chairman of the Executive Board at Leica Camera AG, announced a range of product highlights that will accompany the celebrations of Leica in the centennial year. ‘That Leica today, as in the past, is still synonymous with high-end, handmade products, iconic design, technical innovation and better pictures will be confirmed by the selected products we will be presenting in the course of our centennial year.’ This campaign will be accompanied by a series of cultural projects, photography exhibitions and competitions, book presentations, and a special issue of LFI with the title ‘100 years of Leica photography’.
Another exciting highlight of the centennial year is the relocation of Leica Camera AG to the new, ultra-modern factory in the Leitz Park in Wetzlar, Germany. The official opening will be May 2014.
We congratulate Leica on their 100th year and look forward to the future!