Bad Cannstatt — Daimler's Lost Prototype

Your investigation begins at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Gedächtnisstätte in Stuttgart. It was in this modest summer house, converted into a workshop in 1882, that Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach developed the light gasoline engine. In 1885, they installed their engine in a two-wheeled vehicle, the Reitwagen, considered the first motorcycle. Look for the first sketches of the lost prototype hidden in the corners of this historic site that saw the birth of modern engineering in Baden-Württemberg.

The route takes you through the Kurpark Bad Cannstatt, a green space where Stuttgart residents enjoyed relaxing in the 19th century. Although this park was not a direct workplace for Daimler, it represented the social environment and atmosphere of the era. The tree-lined avenues were places for strolls and discussions, where news of new inventions was whispered. Who knows what conversations about the future of locomotion might have taken place here, and what clues were left behind?

Crossing the Neckarbrücke, you follow in the footsteps of the first road tests of Daimler's inventions. This bridge spans the Neckar River, an essential waterway for transporting goods and people across Baden-Württemberg. Daimler's ingenuity aimed to free transportation from these constraints. The vibrations of the first motorized vehicles on this structure may have left traces, coded messages for those who know how to look carefully.

The Wilhelm Maybach Haus in Stuttgart is a crucial stop. This house was the residence of Wilhelm Maybach, Daimler's brilliant engineer and collaborator. It was here, away from prying eyes, that he might have refined the plans for the secret prototype. Explore the surroundings of this dwelling, imagine the nights spent drawing, the complex calculations scribbled in notebooks. The innovations that shaped the global automotive industry were born in places like this, in the heart of Stuttgart.

Your exploration concludes at Schlossplatz, the central square of Stuttgart, where the architectural elegance of the New Palace contrasts with the industrial revolution you have traced. By solving the final puzzle, you assemble the last fragments of the lost prototype. This journey will have shown you that the history of the automobile is not only about machines but also about the men, their vision, and their perseverance, who transformed Baden-Württemberg and the world.