Exhibition “(In)visible Places – Siegfried Hirschmann and the Forgotten Industrial Empire – Creating a Virtual Journey” at Museum Fürstenwalde and Forschungscampus Dahlem for Kulturerben e.V.
Siegfried Hirschmann (1863–1942) was an industrial pioneer and visionary whose achievements once shaped key sectors of German innovation. As founder of Deutsche Kabelwerke AG, the DEKA tyre brand, and manufacturer of the first motor-powered tricycle, the Cyklonette, he created an impressive industrial empire. Yet due to his Jewish heritage, Hirschmann was dispossessed by the National Socialists, driven into exile, and systematically removed from public memory.
This exhibition represents an important step towards reclaiming his place in history. It combines archival research, immersive storytelling, and digital reconstruction to shed light on a life deliberately obscured. In two cross-border workshops, German and Polish pupils actively contributed to the development of models, holograms, and VR/AR applications, helping to regenerate what had long remained invisible and making Hirschmann’s legacy accessible to a new generation.