In 1845, Ferdinand Adolphe Lange founded the first watch manufacture in Glashütte, Germany, a place well known for its silver mining industry. At the time, the goal was to turn Glashütte into a German watchmaking central. In the early 1950s, GUB —VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe— was formed through the merger of multiple firms including UROFA, UFAG, VEB Lange –formerly A. Lange & Söhne—, VEB Präzision Glashütte, VEB Messtechnik —formerly R. Mühle & Sohn—, VEB Feintechnik, VEB Estler and the Makarenko trade school.