Winkel, 1857-1908, has a fascinating connection to German optics. In the very same year in which he was born (1857), Carl Winkel’s father, Rudolf Winkel, set up a mechanic’s workshop in Göttingen and made microscopes: “Simple ones at first, compound ones later. Good ones throughout. He is successful, exports a lot, expands the business, and has his sons enter it. (including Carl)  Ernst Abbe first visits Winkel in 1894. In 1911, Carl Zeiss becomes the principal shareholder of the company, which continues to grow.  After 1945, Jena’s traditional microscope manufacture is continued in Göttingen. In 1957, the firm of R. Winkel GmbH is taken over by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.” 1.

1. Online: Carl Zeiss history