General German Industrial Exhibition

The General German Industrial Exhibition was designed to demonstrate German industry to a global audience, but was adversely impacted by a cholera epidemic.[1]

General German Industrial Exhibition
Overview
BIE-classUnrecognized exposition
NameGeneral German Industrial Exhibition
Building(s)Glaspalast
Area15,670 square metres (1.567 ha)
Visitors90,000 on first day
Organized byMaximilian II, King of Bavaria (organiser), August von Voit (venue designer)
Location
CountryKingdom of Bavaria
CityMunich
Coordinates48°08′32″N 11°33′53″E
Timeline
Opening15 July 1854
Closure15 October 1854

It ran from 15 July 1854[2] until 15 October.[3] There more than 5,000 visitors a day[2] with more than 90,000 visitors on the first day.[3]

Building

The building, the Glaspalast, followed the architecture of The Crystal Palace three years earlier in London.[4] It was made of glass and cast iron, over two levels inspired. It had two stories and over 234 by 67 m (768 by 220 ft) of floor area, and was 25 m (82 ft) tall.[3]

Cholera

There had been global cases of cholera (the third cholera pandemic before the festival, but the risk of it was downplayed and the exhibition[2] and a concurrent festival still took place.[1] By August the epidemic hit Munich, 3,000 people eventually died of cholera and some contracting it at the exhibition including a woman from Thaining visiting Munich to see the exhibit.[1]

Medals
Industrieausstellung München 1854 Gedenkmünze König Maximilian II Bayern
Industrieausstellung München 1854 Gedenkmünze König Maximilian II Bayern

The medals showed Maximilian II on the obverse and the Glaspalast on reverse. They were designed by Carl Friedrich Voigt.[5]

Legacy

The Glaspalast had been intended to be used as a botanic garden, but was used for exhibitions which helped establish Munich's reputation,[6] until it burned in 1931.[5] The fountain was moved to the Haidhausen quarter.

References
  1. Wagner, Meike, PERFORMING IN CRISIS MODE: THE MUNICH NATIONAL THEATER, THE GREAT EXHIBITION AND THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC OF 1854
  2. War, bombs, cholera • Oktoberfest.de - The Official Website for the Oktoberfest in Munich, retrieved 5 May 2021
  3. "1854_Munich" (PDF). Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  4. "Crystal Palace | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica". Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. "Bayern Maximilian 1854 Industrie + Gewerbeausstellung" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  6. "Kunstpavillon - Über den Kunstpavillon" (in German). Retrieved 5 May 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.