The Birkenstock brand traces back to German cobbler Johann Adam Birkenstock, recorded as a shoemaker in 1774, but the modern Birkenstock sandal and footbed concept were developed later by his descendants, especially Konrad and Karl Birkenstock.

Quick Scoop

  • The Birkenstock family shoemaking line begins with Johann Adam Birkenstock, listed as a cobbler in Langen‑Bergheim, Germany, in 1774.
  • Master shoemaker Konrad Birkenstock (Johann’s descendant) created the first contoured insole/footbed in the late 19th–early 20th century, a key “invention” behind Birkenstocks.
  • Karl Birkenstock, Konrad’s son, turned that orthopedic footbed into the first Birkenstock footbed sandal in the early 1960s.

So if you ask “who invented Birkenstocks?”:

  • As a family brand: Johann Adam Birkenstock founded the shoemaking tradition in 1774.
  • As the iconic contoured footbed : Konrad Birkenstock is credited with developing the anatomically shaped, flexible insole and registering the “footbed” concept.
  • As the recognizable sandal: Karl Birkenstock created the original Birkenstock footbed sandal in the 1960s, which evolved into models like the Madrid and later the Arizona.

In everyday terms, most people credit Konrad and Karl Birkenstock with “inventing” the Birkenstock shoe as we know it, built on the shoemaking foundation started by Johann Adam Birkenstock in the 18th century.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.