General German Industrial Exhibition

General German Industrial Exhibition
Overview
BIE-class	Unrecognized exposition
Name	General German Industrial Exhibition
Building(s)	Glaspalast
Area	15,670 square metres (1.567 ha)
Visitors	90,000 on first day
Organized by	Maximilian II, King of Bavaria (organiser), August von Voit (venue designer)
Location
Country	Kingdom of Bavaria
City	Munich
Coordinates	48°08′32″N 11°33′53″E
Timeline
Opening	15 July 1854
Closure	15 October 1854

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

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

The medals showed Maximilian II on the obverse and the Glaspalast on reverse. They were designed by Carl Friedrich Voigt [da; de; fr].[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 [de; fr; it] 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). Archived from the original on 22 April 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2021.