Michael Thonet (1796 - 1871)

German furniture designer. He is known for his experiments with bending wood, which he then used in his profession. He first presented bent furniture to the public in 1841 at an industrial exhibition in Koblenz. The following year, he founded his own furniture company in Vienna. In 1856 he founded a new factory in Koryčany. Thanks to great successes, the company soon expanded to include plants in Bystřice pod Hostýnem and Vsetín. The factory in Bystřice pod Hostýnem became the development center of the entire company and exported its products to the whole world. Today, the factory is still active, known as TON (Bent Furniture Factory).