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Gustavs Ērenpreis (5 September 1891 – 19 May 1956) was a Latvian manufacturer of bicycles best known as the recipient of the Order of the Three Stars and Cross of Recognition, and as a founder and director of Gustavs Ērenpreis Bicycle Factory, which in the 1930s was the largest manufacturer of bicycles in the Baltic States. Ērenpreis's bicycles were ridden by a generation of elite bicycle racers in
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
.


Personal life

Gustavs Ērenpreis was the son of Valtenberģi Manor coachman Lībijs and Anna. He was born in Vatenberģi (today, Mazsalaca),
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
which at that time was in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. Ērenpreis was educated at a trade school in
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
. He was married twice and had one child from the first marriage – a son Jānis, and four children from the second marriage – a son Juris and three daughters – Anita, Maija and Sarmīte. Gustavs Ērenpreis was decorated with the Order of the Three Stars medal, the highest order of the Republic of Latvia, and the Cross of Recognition of the Republic of Latvia. After the nationalization of the bicycle USSR, Gustavs emigrated to West Germany where he worked in a sawmill.Liepiņš Edvīns and Seregins Jānis, ''From Leutner to Erenpreis: 100 Years of Bicycle Manufacturing in Latvia''. Industrial Heritage Trust of Latvia, 2009; pp. 99-107. He never returned to his homeland Latvia and died after an illness in Detmold,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He was buried in Augsdorf.


Career

After graduation of trade school in Riga, in 1907 he worked at the Eduards Bērziņš bicycle workshop in
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
, which produced bicycles and repaired and sold English Triumph and Douglas motorcycles in the Baltic States. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he was evacuated with the workshop to
Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.
. After the war, the workshop equipment could not be recovered, and Gustavs had to return to Riga, Latvia without any equipment. In 1921, following the end of the war, Ērenpreis launched his own workshop, where in early years he repaired and sold abandoned military transports of the Bermont army. He moved into manufacturing the following year as the "G. Ērenpreis Motorcycle and Bicycle Workshop", where he first manufactured his own bicycles under the "Baltija" label. Due to rapid expansion, the limited space in his workshop had become a problem, and in 1924 the Ērenpreis workshop moved to a larger space. In 1926 Gustavs Ērenpreis and his business partners established a
joint-stock company A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareho ...
called Omega, but this entity was ultimately abandoned that same year.


G. Ērenpreis Bicycle Factory

Those first manufacturing efforts were preliminary to the actual establishment of a new manufacturing entity called the G. Ērenpreis Bicycle Factory in 1927. The new firm continued in its previous quarters until, in 1931, construction began on a new, modern bicycle factory located on in Brīvības Street. Janis Seregins, the biggest bicycle collection owner in Baltics and the author of historic review of Latvian bicycle history "100 year of bicycle manufacturing in Latvia. From Leutner to Erenpreis" points out that by 1937 the factory had become the largest manufacturer of bicycles in the Baltic States. In addition to being the largest Latvian bicycle manufacture of its day, the G. Ērenpreis bicycle factory was regarded as the source of the highest quality bikes for Latvian competitive cyclists."Vienības brauciens – toreiz un tagad" (The Unity Ride - then and now)
the story of a historic bicycle race in Latvia. Delfi, August 8, 2011. Accessed: February 19, 2015.
G. Ērenpreis bicycles were ridden by the top Latvian cyclists of the era, including Olympic cyclists Arvīds Immermanis and Andrejs Apsītis.


Nationalization of factory and legacy

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the occupation of Latvia halted G. Ērenpreis bicycle factory work. The Ērenpreis company was nationalized by the USSR and renamed the "Red Star Riga Bicycle Factory" (Rīgas Velosipēdu rūpnīca (RVR) "Sarkanā Zvaigzne"). Bicycle production continued at that company until 1963, when the factory was retooled and converted to the production of
mopeds A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. ...
. Today G. Ērenpreis bicycles are exhibited at the Riga Motor Museum as part of the country's industrial heritage. Starting in 2011, Gustavs hometown Mazsalaca has celebrated Gustavs Ērenpreis birthday in the festival "Velosvētki - Ērenpreisam 124" (bicycle festival - Ērenpreiss - 124 years old!") In 2012 the brand was revived by Gustavs Ērenpreis' great-grandnephew, Toms Ērenpreiss, who manufactures new Ērenpreiss bicycles.''The bike brand that helped Latvia rediscover its cycling heritage''
by Emily Chappell, 06 May 2015. The Guardian. Retrieved on 07 March 2016


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erenpreis, Gustavs 20th-century Latvian businesspeople 1891 births 1956 deaths Cycle manufacturers of Latvia Recipients of the Cross of Recognition Latvian World War II refugees Latvian emigrants to Germany