New virtual exhibition: “From Letter of Privilege to Federal Constitutional Court – a virtual exhibition for Karlsruhe’s 300th birthday”
“No one may be excluded from the right of settlement and the enjoyment of these freedoms because of their religion. On the contrary, all who belong to one of the religions prevalent in the Holy Roman Empire shall be included and promoted in their doings and dealings.”
This is how the Karlsruhe “Letter of Privilege” from 1715 starts. It is a document by Margrave Charles William with which the beginning of one of the first planned cities in Europe was to be made. Civil rights such as in this example the freedom of religion, and many others such as the exemption from serfdom, socage and taxes, were new and extraordinary during the founding of cities in that era and contributed to the success of establishment.
From today’s perspective, in this early period Karlsruhe already brought itself into play for the developments of law and administration of justice which were to emanate from this city: for today’s seat of the Federal Constitutional Court and Federal Court of Justice it was the progressive impulses during its founding which were not only to be the central theme for the history of the city, but also for this virtual exhibition. For instance, the Baden constitution of 1818 and the first German parliament building as well as the status as capital of the Republic after the Revolution of 1848/49 followed in the wake of the Letter of Privilege.
The exhibition curated by Meinrad Welker, which came into being together with the Karlsruhe Municipal Archives and FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz-Institute of Information Infrastructure, leads the visitor through the general history of the city and emphasises features in spheres such as planning and construction, migration and internationality, mobility and energy as well as culture and innovation.
A natural disaster, the invention of the bicycle and Heinrich von Kleist
Over 150 objects can be seen for the first time online in this compilation. Particularly worthy of mention are two 3D objects which are presented with the X3DOM viewer from the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD). The digitalisation of both 3D objects was enabled by Karlsruhe Municipal Archives and FIZ Karlsruhe.
One of the 3D objects is the “running machine” from inventor Karl von Drais, who is meanwhile mentioned in the same breath with Carl Benz and the Wright Brothers. Those who visit the virtual exhibition will learn that Karlsruhe is not only a vanguard in the field of law, but that famous technical developments also have their roots in this city.
The Drais running machine, invented in 1817, is the world’s first two-wheeled vehicle and forms the basis for the later development of the bicycle. The trigger for the invention of the running machine as an alternative to carriage and riding horse was a natural disaster in 1815 – the eruption of the volcano Mount Tambora in Indonesia, which was the reason for the “Year Without a Summer” in 1816. Destroyed harvests, famines and as a result of this the death of horses made a mobile alternative necessary. The prestige of its inventor increased, but unfortunately not the success of the running machine: due to the poor road conditions the running machine rider had to swerve onto the pavement, which led to accidents and eventually to a prohibition of the device.
Karlsruhe’s inventive activity and desire for technical innovation was logically and stringently followed by the establishment of Germany’s first technical university. Together with the Karlsruhe Research Centre, today it constitutes the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the largest German research institute.
Heinrich von Kleist once wrote about Karlsruhe: “This time I was also in Carlsruhe, and it is a pity that you have not seen this city, which is constructed like a star. It is clear and luminous like a rule, and when you enter it, it is as if an orderly sense speaks.”
Edit 28.04.2017:
Based on the new research results some sentences regarding Drais will need to be revised. It turned out that not the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora was the cause of a horses starving and the invention of the running machine but Drais himself provided for the dissemination of his invention in France and England. There were also numerous replicas not approved by him, which came to America.
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For Karlsruhe visitors:
Karlsruhe is celebrating the 300 years of its history with a long Festival Summer that started on 17 June, on the anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone for the city. Idea workshops, palace light shows, projects in various parts of the city, exhibitions and a central pavilion on the palace park that not only invites visitors to look at the city’s past, but also at the present and future, are part of the festivities.