Museum for Industrial Culture
Topics - Two-Wheeled Vehicles
- The collection of historic bicycles.
Bicycle History
In the last third of the 19th century, the bicycle in the shape of the penny-farthing made its way from England to the continent. Production facilities in the field of metal-processing with a well-qualified skilled workforce were the main prerequisite for bicycle mass production.
Nuremberg with its numerous and varied metal-working companies proved to be an ideal location. When the bicycle became the world's first individual means of transport for the masses, Nuremberg soon became one of the strongholds of bicycle production. In the museum, many historic bicycles and an authentic bicycle shop from the late 1920s remind visitors of this time.
- Entrance to the Motorcycle Museum.
- An early "Victoria".
Motorcycle Museum Ardie, Mars and Company
Motorcycle production in Nuremberg started in 1901, when some Nuremberg bicycle manufacturers started experimenting with engines fixed to their vehicles. Soon after, the Victoria and Hercules companies launched their first motorcycles on the market.
It was only in the 1920s that motorcycle manufacture started booming. The Nuremberg Zündapp works recognised this trend towards motorisation at an early stage, and in 1922, laid the foundations for their later position as market leaders with "a motorcycle for everybody". Other manufacturers followed suit.
Only seven Nuremberg motorcycle producers survived the world economic crisis and the end of the Weimar Republic. When the National Socialists seized power, motorcycles became a symbol for their war machinery. After the war and a temporary ban on motorcycle production, soon legendary motorcycles started to come off the production lines of Nuremberg motorcycle manufacturers again. The KS 601 by Zündapp - often with a sidecar) went down in history as "Green Elephant".
With the onset of the economic miracle in the 1950s, cars increasingly competed with motorcycles. The downfall of the Nuremberg motorcycle industry was unstoppable.
A small museum unit is dedicated to the formerly most important Nuremberg motorcycle producers, the Zündapp company. Some of their world-record breaking motorcycles, prototypes, rare bikes and test bikes may be admired here. This permanent exhibition is supplemented by regular special events, meetings of specific motorcycle makes and other motorcycle events.
