Our founding story – how it all began…
"Mom... Dad... I want a horizontal bar for gymnastics, please!"
With these words and big saucer eyes, our daughter Sara stood in front of us at the time. Your request?
That we set up a gymnastics bar in the garden for her so that she can practice. Of course we wanted to make her dream come true - but unfortunately we couldn't find a good device on the market.
Many products were made of cheap materials and looked accordingly. And at the sight of the safety standards and the lack of quality, chills ran down our spines as parents.
What do you do when it's on sale no
satisfactory product?
What do you do when it's on sale there is no satisfactory product?
We said to ourselves: There has to be a better way. So in 2003, we started building our own set of horizontal bars. And what can we say? Our kids loved it. And not only them: The neighborhood kids thought our creation was great too, and it was no surprise that their parents soon got wind of the new piece of equipment in our garden. And suddenly, we were getting tons of requests.
We thought:
“Hey, our product has real potential!”
We thought: “Hey, our product has real potential!”.
So we rolled up our sleeves, improved our design, and continued tinkering in our garage. After the double horizontal bar, we added new extensions with a climbing net and ladder. Our first online shops, www.turnstangen.de and www.sandkasten.de, went live so we could supply families far beyond our immediate neighborhood. We also sought out partners and suppliers who share our understanding of quality products and whom we still trust today.
We have been working with the Osnabrück Special Education Center from the very beginning. Other great partners, such as specialized stainless steel processors from the region, joined us later.
That was just the beginning. Because we wanted a flexible station for design any age.
That was just the beginning. Because we wanted a flexible station for design any age.
As a father and founder, Arno was able to fully utilize his decades of expertise as a mechanical engineer . From the very beginning, it was important to us to involve experienced athletes and families in the development process. Thanks to this teamwork, it didn't take long for us to design our first sports stations made of high-quality V2A stainless steel , suitable for use by both children and adults.
In 2016, the time had finally come: The official brand TOLYMP was founded.
And today? Today we are one of the leading outdoor equipment manufacturers.
And today? Today we are one of the leading outdoor equipment manufacturers.
As you can see, a lot has changed for us since then. We've continuously developed and expanded our product range – from horizontal bars to our comprehensive outdoor equipment. Our equipment can be found in gardens, outdoor gyms, public facilities, and businesses . Athletes and fitness enthusiasts train with our strength training equipment. Seniors use our fitness and mobility equipment to stay active and healthy. And children are still just as enthusiastic about our horizontal bars and larch wood sandboxes as they were back then.
In short: We develop the perfect outdoor stations for sports and games in the open air.
Our claim is still the same as at the beginning.
We still build our products with the same high standards we had as parents. That's why our focus is on quality, safety, and durability . Our family, friends, and customers are with us on our journey, and it's very important to us that they all become fans of our brand. Personal contact and comprehensive service are therefore especially important to us. We also care about the environment and use durable materials such as European larch wood and V2A stainless steel . Furthermore, we ensure that all our stations are expandable – so you can adapt them to your needs and they'll be with you for many years. To avoid unnecessary emissions, we keep our transport routes as short as possible and use climate-neutral shipping with GLS.
There's still something going on in terms of sustainability, right?
That's what we thought too. That's why we digitized our processes from the very beginning and simultaneously implemented a paperless office. Our team works 100% remotely and is based in the Osnabrück-Münster area. This way, we save a lot on travel costs, emissions, and above all, time.
Time that our creative minds can use for new ideas, exciting projects, or personal pursuits. And if you're wondering about our team spirit: it's as strong as the V2A stainless steel our stations are made of.
