Picture a world before automobiles, when the only way to travel was on the backs of horses. Standing right here, in the heart of Rheinau, Mannheim, you can almost hear the clip-clop of hooves. Here, in the 18th century, a grand wooden structure known as the “Relaishaus” stood, serving as a vital pit stop for weary travelers. This grand building, designed to accommodate horseback riders and their steeds was a central point of activity. The Relaishaus was pivotal, a hub that connected the two grand palaces of Mannheim and Schwetzingen. Imagine the bustling energy of this space, the air thick with the smell of horse manure and the excitement of arriving travelers.
The Relaishaus, however, wasn’t merely a place to rest horses. It also marked a turning point in history! In 1817, Karl Freiherr von Drais, an engineer and inventor, decided to test his radical new invention just down the road from the Relaishaus. He strapped his new two-wheeled vehicle, the Laufmaschine, designed to run on the power of human legs, and raced along the path to the Relaishaus and back, setting the stage for the bicycle revolution.
But this isn’t just a place of grand history. The very air here whispers of the industrial revolution that followed. The Relaishaus eventually fell into disrepair, but it’s history lives on, intertwined with the story of the Rheinau Chemical Factory. Located in 1873 in an almost completely unpopulated field near this very spot, this factory ignited the industrialization of Rheinau. Initially, the factory used the Leblanc process to produce soda, but it couldn’t compete with the Solvay method. So, in 1887, the Chemische Fabrik Rhenania company took over, modernizing the plant and specializing in hydrochloric acid and other chemical by-products. It was a time of immense change.
The Rheinau region was transformed, from a quiet backwater into a vibrant hub for industry. And just a few decades after the horse-drawn carriages of the Relaishaus, the region became a critical location, as evidenced by the remaining industrial buildings, a silent testament to the area’s industrial past.