The German religious settlers whose communal Iowa villages gave the world Amana refrigerators — and the microwave oven's Radarange.
The Community of True Inspiration, German Pietists seeking religious freedom, settled seven villages in Iowa County beginning in 1855 and lived communally — sharing property, kitchens, and work — for more than 75 years.
In 1932, during the Great Depression, the community reorganized in the “Great Change,” separating its church from a for-profit Amana Society. Out of that came Amana Refrigeration, founded by George Foerstner, which grew into a major appliance maker and introduced the Radarange, the first popular home microwave oven, in 1967.
The Amana Colonies are one of America's longest-lived communal societies and a National Historic Landmark, drawing visitors to their preserved villages, crafts, and restaurants. The Amana appliance name carried the little Iowa community's reputation for quality into kitchens worldwide.
The colonies remain a living center of German-Iowa heritage.
The Amana Colonies is based in Amana, Iowa. A National Historic Landmark; the Amana appliance brand endures worldwide
1855.
Curious about your own family's story? We trace it through the public record and write it up as a documented history.
See how it works →This profile presents only publicly reported facts, drawn from the sources above. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the family or its companies.