Foundation of Public Law
supported
by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg
and the City of Mannheim
Museumsstraße 1
68165 Mannheim
1 October 2016
From the running machine to the single speed: TECHNOSEUM in Mannheim is showing an exhibition on the history of the bicycle
TECHNOSEUM Mannheim, Germany / Exhibition "2 Wheels - 200 Years. Baron von Drais and the History of the Bicycle" from 11 November 2016 to 25 June 2017.
On 12 June 1817, Baron Karl von Drais started his first ride with the running machine he had developed. The excursion from Mannheim to the surroundings and back again barely lasted an hour. Drais made an average of 15 kilometres per hour - a speedy way of locomotion, even without a horse. This trip with the forerunner of the bicycle is considered the birth of individual mobility.
For the 200th anniversary of this invention, the TECHNOSEUM is showing the exhibition "2 Wheels - 200 Years. Baron von Drais and the History of the Bicycle." from 11 November 2016 to 25 June 2017 in Mannheim. 100 bicycles can be seen on the 800 square metres of exhibition space, starting with early running machine models from the 1820s to the foot pedal velocipede and the high wheel to the safety bicycle and the single speed that is the trend today.
The show not only reflects the technical development history of the bicycle, it also focuses on the transformation of the social role and relevance of the vehicle. At the beginning, it was a toy of the nobility and the upper middle classes. The bicycle as a mass product mobilized the workforce around 1900, quickened the women's movement and coined new types of sports.
At interactive stations, visitors can discover how gear ratio and steering work and why bicycling is not a thing of the past. In a workshop in the middle of the exhibition, there are practical tips like how to patch a tyre, adjust the brake or oil the chain. And visitors can also try out various bike models. For example, you can try out a high wheel, take spin with a replica of a Drais's running machine or test bicycles with hard rubber or pneumatic tyres.
A free reader with English-language texts about "2 Wheels" is available at the cash desk of the TECHNOSEUM, with which the exhibition can be independently explored. In addition, 90-minute guided tours can be booked in English, French and German, Tel. 0049 (0) 621 / 4298-839 or e-mail to .
TECHNOSEUM
Museumsstr. 1
68165 Mannheim
Tel. 0621 / 4298-9
E-Mail:
Open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Admission: 8.00 euro, reduced price 5.00 euro, family 16.00 euro,
children up to 6 years free
About the TECHNOSEUM
Along with the German Museum in Munich and the German Technological Museum in Berlin, the TECHNOSEUM in Mannheim is one of the largest technology museums in Germany. Developments in natural sciences and technology from the 18th century to today, as well as the social and economic changes triggered by industrialization in Germany, are the themes of the permanent exhibition. You can even be active in the experimental "Elementa" exhibition, which invites you to fiddle around at several places on your tour of the museum: You can experience technical inventions here through trial and error.
Additional information at .
1