Telegraphenbauanstalt Siemens & Halske

German company

Also known as: Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske, often shortened to Siemens & Halske, was a German company founded in Berlin in 1847 by Werner von Siemens, Johann Georg Siemens, and Johann Georg Halske. Its primary purpose was to build telegraph installations and other electrical equipment. The company was instrumental in expanding telegraph lines across Germany and internationally, establishing branches in Russia and London.

As the firm grew, its activities broadened to include dynamos, cables, telephones, and electric power. In 1897, it became Siemens & Halske AG. This company later merged with others to form Siemens AG in 1966, which is now a global energy technology and manufacturing company.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Werner von Siemens
The firm of Telegraphenbauanstalt Siemens & Halske prospered rapidly, carrying out large telegraphic projects and expanding into other electrical fields as new applications of electricity were developed. Werner and his brother Carl (1829–1906) established subsidiary factories in London, St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Paris. Werner’s continued research efforts and…
Read More
The firm of Telegraphenbauanstalt Siemens & Halske prospered rapidly, carrying out large telegraphic projects and expanding into other electrical fields as new applications of electricity were developed. Werner and his brother Carl (1829–1906) established subsidiary factories in London, St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Paris. Werner’s continued research efforts and…
Read More

Siemens AG
The first Siemens company, Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske (“Telegraph Construction Firm of Siemens & Halske”), was founded in Berlin in 1847 by Werner von Siemens (1816–92), his cousin Johann Georg Siemens (1805–79), and Johann Georg Halske (1814–90); its purpose was to build telegraph installations and other electrical equipment.…
Read More
The first Siemens company, Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske (“Telegraph Construction Firm of Siemens & Halske”), was founded in Berlin in 1847 by Werner von Siemens (1816–92), his cousin Johann Georg Siemens (1805–79), and Johann Georg Halske (1814–90); its purpose was to build telegraph installations and other electrical equipment.…
Read More

Sir William Siemens
…for his brother Werner’s firm, Siemens & Halske of Berlin, a connection he maintained until 1858, when he became managing partner of the separate London firm founded under the same name; the firm was engaged in electrical testing for cable firms and in the manufacturing of apparatus. The English firm…
Read More
…for his brother Werner’s firm, Siemens & Halske of Berlin, a connection he maintained until 1858, when he became managing partner of the separate London firm founded under the same name; the firm was engaged in electrical testing for cable firms and in the manufacturing of apparatus. The English firm…
Read More