Category: German History

Mercedes war eine Dame

March 19, 2019
Posted by Don Bender

Autos mit dem dreispitzigen Stern – eines der bekanntesten Markensymbole der Welt – sind heute auf der ganzen Welt zu finden. Daimler-Benz mit Sitz in Stuttgart-Unterturkheim baut seit 1926 Automobile mit dem Namen Mercedes-Benz. Das Motto des Unternehmens lautet “Das Beste oder nichts”.

Wie hat das Mercedes-Automobile seinen Namen bekommen? Wer, eigentlich, war Mercedes?

Der österreichische Diplomat, Geschäftsmann und Autorennfahrer Emil Jellinek kaufte und modifizierte Autos die von Daimler (Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft) gebaut wurden um den Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts. Jellinek arbeitete mit Wilhelm Maybach, dem Chefingenieur von Daimler zusammen um überlegene Automobile herzustellen (zu bauen).

Der Name Mercedes wurde erstmals im Jahr 1900 verwendet, als Jelenick einen modifizierten Daimler-Wagen nach seiner Tochter Mercedes benannte. Die Daimler- und Benz-Gesellschaften wurden 1926 zur Daimler-Benz zusammengelegt. Das erste Serienauto mit dem Namen „Mercedes-Benz“ wurde 1926 von der neuen Firma Daimler-Benz hergestellt.

So wurde eine der großen Automarken der Welt nach einer Frau benannt.

▸ Photo: Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The Typeface that Traveled to the Moon

August 11, 2018
Posted by Don Bender

How did a typeface designed in Germany during the 1920’s end up on the moon nearly a quarter of a century later?

The story begins in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1924. At that time, just five years after the end of the First World War, the city was funding an affordable housing initiative. Some of Germany’s most prominent, modernist architects were involved in the project which produced a number of innovative buildings.

Paul Renner, a Frankfurt-based typographer, also played a role in this project. He developed a completely new, modern typeface that could be used in directional signage and on signs and informational graphics on and within the new buildings.

Renner began work on the new typeface in 1924. It was released three years later, in 1927, by Frankfurt’s Bauer Type Foundry. The modernistic, geometric, sans-serif typeface was appropriately named Futura. Futura was promoted as “die Schrift Unserer Zeit” (the typeface of our time) and, in English, as “the typeface of today and tomorrow”.

Simple, clear and legible, the Futura typeface was used extensively throughout the 20th century appearing in logos, advertisements and signage worldwide. Futura continues to be widely used today. Organizations that have used the Futura typeface include Volkswagen, Nike, Shell, IKEA, Swissair, AIG, Vogue, Vanity Fair and even the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration – NASA.

NASA gave the Futura typeface still greater prominence through its Apollo space program. When the astronauts of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon, the descent stage of their Lunar Module displayed a stainless steel plaque with the following message:

Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.

The typeface chosen by NASA for its moon plaque was none other than Futura.

The descent stage of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module was left on the moon. It remains there to this day, displaying its message in a typeface created over 90 years ago in Frankfurt, Germany.

▸ Images by NASA

Bauhaus 2019: Renowned Art, Design & Architecture School Turning 100

July 23, 2018
Posted by Don Bender

During 2019, destinations all across Germany will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus – Germany’s highly influential art, design and architecture school. The Staatliches Bauhaus (more commonly known simply as the Bauhaus) was founded in Weimar by architect Walter Gropius during 1919. The Bauhaus was later moved to Dessau, and subsequently, to Berlin.

Although the Bauhaus remained open for less than two decades, its influence on the art, design and architecture of the 20th century, and beyond, has been profound. Essential elements of the Bauhaus style include simple, functional design and a minimalistic approach. Architect Mies van der Rohe, one of the school’s founders, summed up this approach as, “Less is more”.

Some of the better-known artists and designers associated with the Bauhaus include: Anni Albers, Josef Albers, Herbert Bayer, Peter Behrens, Max Bill, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, Andreas Feininger, Lyonel Feininger, Walter Gropius, Johannes Itten, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Lilly Reich and Gunta Stölzl.

Today, the innovative steel-and-glass Bauhaus building in Dessau, and some associated buildings, are open to the public. The Bauhaus campus is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Bauhaus-inspired buildings can be found in many locations across the globe. In New York City, some of the most famous buildings influenced by the Bauhaus include: the Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe; the Met Life (formerly Pan Am) building by Walter Gropius; and, the Whitney Museum (now known as the Met Breuer) by Marcel Breuer.

For more information about the Bauhaus and related 100th anniversary events, visit their official site at: https://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/en/index.html

▸ Photo by Michael “Tegula” on Pixabay.com