OUR FAMILY
A FAMILY OF LIGHT
For nearly two centuries, our maison has been shaped not only by craft, but by character. Each generation carried the responsibility of preserving what came before while daring to imagine what could follow. Together, they form a lineage of custodians — a family bound by devotion to light, beauty and the quiet discipline of making things that last.
For five generations, the Bakalowits family has carried the maison forward — a family of light, entrusted with its craft, its heritage and its future. What began with a young man walking to Vienna with nothing but ambition has become one of the last family-owned luxury lighting houses of its kind.
GENERATION I — ELIAS & THERESE BAKALOWITS
THE FOUNDERS: COURAGE, CRAFT AND THE FIRST SPARK OF LIGHT
Elias Bakalowits (1810–1861)
A young man who walked to Vienna with nothing but ambition and a belief in the transformative power of craft.
Born in Vukovar, raised in hardship after his family lost everything, he apprenticed as a glazier and built a reputation for precision and integrity.
In 1845, with 200 gulden and a hand-painted sign, he opened the shop that would become one of Europe’s most respected names in glass and light.
His legacy is the foundation of the maison: courage, craftsmanship and the conviction that beauty belongs in everyday life.
Therese Bakalowits (1820–1916)
The first great matriarch of the house — disciplined, strategic and unshakeably strong.
When Elias died suddenly, she stepped into leadership at a moment when the future of the company hung in the balance.
She expanded the business to Kärntnerstraße, elevated its reputation and established the maison as the most celebrated glass and chandelier house of the monarchy.
Her leadership set a pattern that would repeat across generations: the house thrives when a strong woman stands at its centre.
GENERATION II — LUDWIG BAKALOWITS
THE VISIONARY: ART, INNOVATION AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF VIENNESE GLASS
Ludwig Bakalowits (1856–1934)
A merchant by training, an artist by instinct, and the architect of the maison’s artistic golden age.
He transformed Bakalowits into a cultural force, collaborating with the Vienna Secession, the Wiener Werkstätte and the great Bohemian glassworks.
Under his leadership, the maison became K.u.k. Hoflieferant and illuminated the Neue Hofburg with some of the first electrified chandeliers of the empire.
He commissioned more than 6,000 glass designs — a staggering creative output that shaped the aesthetics of an entire era.
GENERATION III — DIPL.-ING. LUDWIG BAKALOWITS JR.
THE PROTECTOR: ENGINEERING, INGENUITY AND THE SURVIVAL OF THE MAISON
Ludwig Bakalowits Jr. (1895–1970)
An engineer with a poet’s sense of responsibility.
He introduced international patents in chandelier construction and guided the maison through the darkest decades of the 20th century.
During the war, when the shop was forced to close, he hid the entire inventory in a sealed cellar behind a false wall — an act of foresight that saved the company’s heritage and allowed it to reopen in 1945 with intact stock.
He led the post-war reconstruction of Austria’s cultural landmarks, restoring the light of a nation and securing the maison’s place in its architectural history.
GENERATION IV — PROF. FRIEDL & MAG. AGLAJA BAKALOWITS
THE GLOBALISTS: EXPANSION, EXCELLENCE AND THE RETURN TO CRAFT
Prof. Friedl Bakalowits (1939–)
A master craftsman, global strategist and one of the most influential chandelier makers of the 20th century.
He expanded the maison across continents, created the world’s largest chandelier for the Belgrade Parliament, and established subsidiaries in Munich, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
His restoration of the Palais Beauharnais in Paris set new international standards for historic lighting preservation.
As a professor of design, he shaped not only chandeliers but generations of designers.
Mag. Aglaja Bakalowits (1957–)
The modern matriarch — elegant, determined and deeply attuned to the needs of clients around the world.
She joined the maison in 1985, strengthening international relations and guiding the company into a new era of specialisation.
Her leadership revived the house’s focus on craftsmanship, bespoke work and artistic collaboration.
She embodies the recurring theme of the Bakalowits lineage: the house rises when a strong woman stands beside a visionary man.
GENERATION V — MAG. SOPHIE & MAXIMILIAN BAKALOWITS
THE FUTURE: DESIGN, CRAFT AND THE CONTEMPORARY MAISON
Mag. Sophie Bakalowits (1985–)
A guardian of craft with a scholar’s eye.
With studies in art history, economics and law, she leads the workshops and production, ensuring that every chandelier — from restoration to bespoke creation — meets the highest standards of Viennese craftsmanship.
She bridges tradition and modernity, preserving the techniques that define the maison while guiding it into the future.
Maximilian Bakalowits (1987–)
A designer, innovator and the creative force of the contemporary maison.
He re-established the in-house design studio, revived the tradition of artistic collaboration and brought the maison back into dialogue with the international design world.
His work blends heritage with modernity, ensuring that the next century of Bakalowits light will be as visionary as the last.
A FAMILY OF LIGHT
Five generations, one unbroken line. From a young man walking to Vienna with nothing but ambition, to a modern design studio shaping the luxury chandeliers of tomorrow — the Bakalowits family has carried a single belief across 180 years:
Light is not just illumination — it is culture, memory and the soul of a room.
And as long as the family continues to work side by side, the maison will remain what it has always been: a house where craftsmanship is inherited, not taught; where innovation is tradition; and where every chandelier carries the story of the hands that made it.
