Veröffentlicht am: 05.11.2023 um 10:20 Uhr:
Technik Museum Speyer: Les Français – People, Engines and Architecture
Source: TMSNHSP
» Speyer. As part of the French year at the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer, the Speyer establishment is presenting its new special exhibition, "Les Français – People, Engines and Architecture". Up until 29 February 2024, visitors will have the opportunity to experience a piece of French history in the heart of the cathedral city. Everything you need to know about the new special exhibition can be found at www.technik-museum.de/les-francais.
"The year 2023 is marked by the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty. The Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer have many exhibits that were produced in France, as well as close contacts with the country. It thus quickly became clear to us that we should use this occasion to really celebrate France," said Member of the Management Board of the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer, Andreas Hemmer "Les Français – People, Engines and Architecture". Its sister museum in Sinsheim is currently showing a special exhibition entitled "One Hundred Years of 24 Hours of Le Mans". The unique "Rally of French Classics" was already held in April, and the Concorde has already been enthroned on the museum roof for 20 years, as the museum organisers recalled at the end of July.
The Palatinate, a region of remarkable cultural diversity and historical importance, has maintained close ties with France over the centuries. The events of the 20th century, in particular, have left deep marks in the Palatinate, including in the Salian city of Speyer. "Les Français – People, Engines and Architecture" invites visitors to learn more about everyday life in this previously occupied city, take a look at French automotive technology and immerse themselves in the local history.
The grounds of the Technik Museum Speyer have a special past. Several buildings evoke its French history: the Lille Hall, the museums' largest exhibit, the Hotel Speyer at the Technik Museum Speyer, a former barracks, and the Museum Wilhelmsbau, which once served as the administrative building of the French occupiers. The listed Lille Hall, in particular, has a turbulent history. The building is a striking example of industrial architecture from the time of the First World War. However, its origins hail from the other side of the Rhine border: in 1917, Pfalz Flugzeugwerke (an aircraft manufacturer) decided to build a hall for "giant aircraft". Due to a lack of materials, troops in the occupied areas were on the lookout for a suitable hall. In Lesquin near Lille, German troops finally found what they were looking for and dismantled an entire hall that had been built in 1913 on behalf of the company Thomson (Houston, USA). They transported it to Speyer and had rebuilt it by 1918 – today's Lille Halle. Over the years, it frequently changed hands between French and German owners, until the Technik Museum Speyer acquired the property, including the Lille Hall, in 1990.
In addition to the buildings, the Technik Museum Speyer thus also houses some French exhibits. After all, France has a long and proud history of technological development to look back on – the Grande Nation is behind numerous pioneering innovations and automobile brands. Renault, Bugatti and Peugeot, for example, remain strong brands today. As part of this special exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to explore and appreciate France's achievements in the field of automotive engineering. In the space travel hall, the exhibition organisers present more than ten vehicles built from 1902 onwards, including historic civilian cars, such as a Peugeot double phaeton from 1912, a military vehicle, a 1954 Hotchkiss, and a motorcycle, a Motobecane from 1967. "The following loans are particularly worthy of mention: a Simca 9 Aronde from 1954, the classic Citroën 2CV from 1976, and a Renault R4 from 1982. These are private vehicles belonging to soldiers stationed in Speyer at the time," adds Hemmer.
Scattered among the motorised displays from that time are showcases with personal items. The Historical Museum of the Palatinate loaned the Technik Museum Speyer selected exhibits that tell of the life of French citizens in the cathedral city at that time, including photographs, accolades and accessories from the Gandit military family, Guy Lesueur, who still lives in Speyer today, and the amateur photographer and conscript Régis Tabeau. "We and the Historical Museum of the Palatinate have already been supporting each other in joint projects for years. "Les Français – People, Engines and Architecture" is the first major collaboration between our museums, and we look forward to further successful work together in the future," says an optimistic Hemmer.
The new special exhibition is included in the admission fee for the Technik Museum Speyer. It is a unique opportunity for visitors of all ages to learn and understand more about the French past of the area surrounding today's museum, as well as technological development and the everyday life of the time.
About the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer – from Deep Sea into Space
Supported by the non-profit club Auto + Technik Museum e. V. and based on the motto “for fans from fans”, the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer have more than 4,000 members worldwide. The financing is exclusively based on admission fees, donations as well as membership fees of club members. All surpluses are used for the museum’s maintenance and expansion. On an area of more than 200,000 sqm, the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer present more than 6,000 exhibits from all fields of technological history in a worldwide unique variety. The exhibits range from submarines to vintage cars, from the Concorde to the Space Shuttle BURAN. Besides the permanent exhibition and the changing special exhibitions, there are numerous vehicle and club meetings as well as events. Open 365 days a year, the museums attract over one million visitors a year. Our two IMAX large-format cinemas are a true highlight. While the IMAX 3D cinema in Sinsheim – “the cinema with the highest resolution in the world” – shows exclusive documentations and the latest Hollywood blockbusters, films are projected onto a giant dome in the IMAX DOME cinema in Speyer. «
Source: TMSNHSP
Source: Press release of the Technik-Museum Speyer from 25 August 2023