International Hygiene Exhibition

The International Hygiene Exhibition 1911 in Dresden was built after the idea and largely at the instigation of the successful Odol manufacturer Karl August Lingner. With 5.2 million visitors, it has been so far the most attended exhibition in Dresden. Your opening took place on May 6 and it ran until 31 October 1911.

Objective of the exhibition

Dresden was able to access comprehensive exhibition experience within the planning of this event. Since 1896, there was a specially designed area with the Municipal Exhibition Hall available. The city had already experienced seven internationally staffed and other national exhibitions since 1887. The resulting among citizens and public administration experience facilitated the concern immensely.

Karl August Lingner had very attentive with the knowledge and reactions among people can study since 1892 in the development and sale of sanitary products. About this topic existed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century in large parts of the population only few and often unstructured ideas. This was, inter alia, a cause of some sorrowful developments in urban areas. The increase of tuberculosis, skin and venereal diseases, and insufficiently processed foods produced an enormous pressure to act, which led to different decisions in public and private managers. For example, learned the disinfection system and the construction of large central cattle slaughterhouses a significant development thrust.

The intended objective, " ... even on a large scale a teaching of the public to take over health care," was more than fulfilled. The success encouraged to subsequent similar projects in Dusseldorf ( GeSoLei 1926) and Dresden (1930 /31). Of note are the interactions with the reform movements and the urban planning. The emergence of the light oriented and covered with green zones settlements was deliberately designed with garden cities their exclusive expression, but decreased in the later Bauhaus movement worldwide and a wider space. Already during the preparatory phase covered by Lingner on the creation of a Museum of Hygiene in order to set a permanent return pulse can. However, the uncertain duration of funding let him refrain.

In preparation for the club was founded in 1908 to host the International Hygiene Exhibition 1911. The central person for this project was Karl August Lingner. He was elected on a work meeting in the auditorium of the Institute of Technology on February 12, 1910 Director of the exhibition project. From eleven countries representatives had come to this meeting and documented in this way, international interest in the exhibition.

The preparations included a poster contest in 1910, which saw a huge turnout. The jury was unhappy with the valuation of many of submitted work. A first prize was not awarded. Finally, the design of the young, then still insignificant glass painter and poster artist Willi later Petzold was taken up with the eye motif. Lingner instructed the Munich artist Franz von Stuck implement this subject into a poster. The jury consisted of Carl Bantzer (Dresden ), Paul Schumann ( Dresden), Otto Gussmann (Dresden ), Karl August Lingner (Dresden ), Max Seliger (Leipzig ) and Georg Wrba ( Dresden). For the competition, 530 works were received.

The Dresden for several decades successfully proven exhibition concept consisted of a thematically coherent combination of popular processed science knowledge, optical / didactically well-positioned representations, presentation of successful and new products, regional and foreign exhibitors, consistently sophisticated integration of art objects, as well as an area for entertainment and gastronomic meals. In addition, attention was paid to a coherent urban transport links and nationally integrated rail links.

The exhibition claimed otherwise than by the area by the Municipal Exhibition Hall area and moved in this manner part of the Great Garden and the Güntzwiesen with a. The total exhibition area was 320,000 square meters.

Main areas of the International Hygiene Exhibition were:

• Historical- ethnographic department
• Infectious diseases
• Tropical Diseases
• German workers insurance
• Chemistry, Scientific instruments, cosmetics
• Resorts and spas, mineral waters
• Children and young people
• Profession and work, technology and machinery
• Settlement and Housing
• Clothing and personal care, play and sport
• Food and Beverage
• Hygiene in traffic
• Health care and emergency services
• Army, Navy and colonial hygiene
• Individual commercial exhibitors
• Popular department ( Man )
• Foreign departments (Brazil, China, England, France, Italy, Japan, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary). Not all states participating financed a single exhibition area, but participated in thematic complexes.

For the structural design of the architects Lossow General and Kuehne were responsible. Other architects were involved in specific tasks, including Martin Dülfer, Georg Heinsius Mayen castle and Hermann Viehweger.

The architectural centerpiece was the Exhibition Palace ( sometimes called Stone Palace). Around him were grouped a number of smaller individual buildings. The entrance area was not conducted from traffic-related aspects and the expected visitor storm over the main portal of exhibition palace. For this you set up a representative portico at the Lennéstraße. The input situation led in a straight axis to the hall "Man " to a clever solution to underline the central concern of the moment you enter the exhibition.

Particularly noteworthy buildings are some of the foreign " missions ". Here, the Russian, Japanese and Chinese national pavilion were particularly striking. Furthermore, the buildings stood out from the entertainment area by their originality forth. In the place of today's Glücksgas Stadium of existing sports field was involved in the exhibition. Here stood the bronze sculpture of the ball -throwing athletes who have later found their place in the German Hygiene Museum.

To connect the exhibition areas on both sides of Lennéstraße each other, there were two bridge crossings. Immediately in their neighborhood was a building with a tower. It housed the specially erected for the exhibition powerhouse. Because of the comprehensive energy demand had opted for an independent production. The tower was at its core from the inevitable chimney.

Selected thematic aspects

The thematic scope within the International Hygiene Exhibition was very large. Therefore, the show took a reaching beyond the actual Municipal Exhibition Centre space.

Foreign departments

The nations represented with its own department presented to visitors in the respective country pavilions mainly the progress of their national health care system, typical food and living arrangements, education and relevant country's history. England also presented its selected results of tropical medicine and bacteriological and karzinologischer research in the framework of its national and colonial activities in the foreground. Russia presented itself in a wide width. Notable topics included climatological research results ( Caucasus, Black Sea coast ), mineral resources ( Borjomi mineral water received in Dresden an honorary diploma ), drinking water treatment and the fight against alcoholism.

Occupation and work

In the subsection Special Occupation statistics and occupational hygiene they went in to the statistical determination of occupational diseases and possible preventive measures. Here Italy came forward with the presentation of a clinic for workers diseases in Milan and its provisions collection on OSH. Numerous examples demonstrated the improvement of light and air supply as well as the avoidance of dust in the workplace and an example from the industrial weaving the efforts of the ergonomic design of the working field of machinery.

Infectious diseases

This area was designed by well-known doctors from Berlin, Dresden and Munich in two subdivisions. The one part was dedicated to the issues of immunity and vaccination and the other of general disease control ( disinfection). The exhibited issues had been prepared by international scientists. In addition to German physicians and public officials to it representatives from Belgium, Mexico and Sweden participated. The neighboring Department of Tropical Diseases decreed by nature an even greater international participation.

Municipal tasks

In the area of ​​German cities is devoted to the presentation of the latest developments in the areas of sanitation, water supply, urban / housing (planning / structure / appreciation ) and municipal statistical system.

Financial structure

To finance the huge exhibition project continued the exhibition management focus, to the revenue by the operation. In the closing balance sheet taking a position of 6,665,536.30 Mark was reported. The largest areas of revenue were in the entrance fees ( 2.35 million dollars) and space rent of exhibitors ( 2.30 million dollars). The municipal subsidy amounted to 200,000 marks. The main focus of expenditure were the costs for construction and interior work with 2.35 million Mark. Advertising expenditures included a total expenditure of around 519,000 marks. The exhibition closed with a profit of just over one million marks. This net income benefited from the Foundation for the establishment of a national health museum.

In the final invoice does not include the sometimes considerable expenditure of foreign states and of all private exhibitors.

Results

With the International Hygiene Exhibition was written at a time of widespread chronic and epidemic diseases like a skyrocketing sensitivity to issues of purity, medical and everyday prevention and health maintenance. The sporting interest in the population was taken up by the exhibition organizers in a conspicuous manner. This was the existing movements that dealt with the design of a balanced lifestyle and a sport-oriented leisure activity (walking, gymnastics), given great moral support. The impulse-giving contribution to developments in modern urban planning has to be recognized due to its diverse impact set. Dresden had himself on the international stage can establish a few decades as a city of health education and set an original substantive point for his self-understanding.

The ingenious idea of the selected exhibition poster is the " monitored eye" was taken as a symbol of hygiene questions again and again and on several occasions by artistic. It has easily in terms of modern symbolism a special position.

Lingner was able to consolidate realistic with the surviving exhibition objects and the well-established connections to specialists and specialized institutions the foundation for the new rage he Hygiene Museum. His relatively early death in 1916 prevented further important impetus of this visionary and wealthy entrepreneur.

The challenging activities for health education through the product obtained from this story German Hygiene Museum continues to this day unabated. Lingner's guiding principle, " Hygiene is the doctrine of the preservation and maintenance of human health, the doctrine of the conservation of human well -being ", has repeatedly been found to-date answers.

The Undosa wave machine shown at the exhibition was purchased by the naturopath Eduard Bilz and installed in his light -air bathroom. It is probably the oldest functioning as wave machine despite its status as a technical monument still in Radebeul Bilzbad in daily pool operation.

Others

Other important exhibitions on the same subject were the GeSoLei ( Dusseldorf 1926) and the International Hygiene Exhibition in Dresden in 1930, which were based at least partly on the experience of the exhibition of 1911.

In 1986, a special exhibition entitled 75 years First International Hygiene Exhibition in Dresden was shown in 1911 at the Deutsches Hygiene- Museum.

Swell

• Official Guide to the International Hygiene Exhibition in Dresden in 1911 and through and around Dresden. Berlin (Rudolf Mosse )
• Official catalog of the International Hygiene Exhibition. Dresden from May to October 1911. Berlin (Rudolf Mosse ) 1911
• Salonblatt 1910, No. 8, 23
• Klaus Vogel / Christoph Wingender: " ... whose visit is therefore under all circumstances worth " The First International Hygiene Exhibition 1911 in: . Dresden books, No. 63, Great Exhibitions in 1900 and in the twenties. Dresden 2000, pp. 44-52