History

Serving the business community

The invention of machines and the establishment of manufacturing in the 17th and 18th centuries brought in their train radically new methods of production and organization. The first factories came into being. The first World Fair, held in London in 1851, not only demonstrated the economic power of the newly industrialised nations, but also revealed the superior design and practicality of overseas makes. Trade and industry, till then restricted by the system of guilds and corporations, paid increasing attention to developments beyond their home market.

It soon became apparent that a comprehensive training system would have to be created for trade and industry. Trade associations and schools were founded, chambers of industry and commerce set up, with showrooms and trade exhibitions carrying on the tradition of training by example. The Society for the Promotion of National Industry, founded in 1792, became the Nuremberg/Fuerth Trade Association in 1845.

Chronologie of Gewerbemuseum

Lothar von Faber and Theodor von Cramer-Klett, both Imperial counsellors, enthusiastically supported the establishment of a headquarters and museum for arts and crafts, where local companies could gain experience of the latest technology and display fine examples of their own skill in manufacturing. On 28 April, 1869, 200 representatives of industry, trade, commerce, chambers of commerce, towns and cities, and the state government, established the Bavarian Arts and Crafts Museum in Nuremberg.

In 1872, a trade library and a technical information centre were opened, with an official patent reference office. Later, a chemical laboratory was established, and in 1888 a testing facility for the assessment of machines, motors and tools was added. The extension completed in 1896 helped to relieve the chronic lack of space and also created the environment for a permanent trade and industry display area.

Shortly after the turn of the century, new technical developments and an increasing need for consultancy from all over Bavaria led to the establishment of the electrical department and the incorporation of the Test Institute for the Brewing of Beer. The need to get closer to the client was seen in the opening of branch offices in Landshut, Augsburg, Bayreuth, Hof, Regensburg and Wuerzburg, from 1908. A year later, the Arts and Crafts Museum was re- named the "Bayerische Landesgewerbeanstalt" (or Bavarian Trade Institute), reflecting its expanded range of activities and the increasing importance of its consultancy function.

In 1916, King Ludwig III granted the LGA the status of a public law corporation, thus ensuring independence, objectivity and neutrality. Taking responsibility for tasks in the public sector, however, changed nothing in the LGA's role as a self-regulating body serving the business community.

In 1918, the LGA was granted permission to check verifications of stability and structural analysis calculations for constructions. Then in 1936, the Institute for Food and Biochemistry was added. The LGA buildings were badly damaged by air raids in the Second World War. Work had first to be resumed in temporary accommodation. The country's economic recovery also brought the LGA new responsibilities. At the urging of the construction business, the LGA established the Geotechnical Institute for the handling of geological and geotechnical matters. This was followed by the establishment of a galvanizing school in 1956, encouraged principally by the galvanizing and metal-finishing guild. In the mid-fifties, the LGA started testing commodities and consumer goods, e.g. for the "Stiftung Warentest" consumer organization, in whose establishment the LGA played an active part.

In the sixties, more and more attention was given to the expansion of services in the branch offices, e.g. the establishment of the Aerodynamic Test Centre in Munich. In 1969, the Institute was given its present title of "Landesgewerbeanstalt Bayern", or LGA for short.

Inquiries from the construction industry about suitability, design and ecological compatibility led to the establishment of the Institute for Building Installations and Domestic Water Supply. Again reflecting the needs of industry, in 1975 the LGA started training technicians to the level of the State examination in environmental protection and extended this to include the field of biotechnology in 1988.

The state of Bavaria entrusted the LGA with the Bavarian Technological Consultation Program. In establishing the department for Technology Transfer and Innovation, the LGA created the facilities for coordinated, active technology promotion.

Over 1,000 people are currently employed in the following divisions: Structural Analysis, Geotechnical, Material Testing, Environmental Protection, Products and Technical Information. In the face of great changes, one thing has remained unaltered since the LGA's foundation: its task is still to promote business growth by using its technical services to support local business at a time of structural change. In adapting its activities to the changing needs of industry, its methods and practices have also changed. Instead of using examples for indirect comparison, more emphasis has come to be placed on consultancy, direct testing and examinations of technical production and systems. The LGA's technical expertise, customer nearness and guaranteed neutrality will continue to provide a firm base for the technical services that its clients in the business community need, both now and in the future.

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Last Updated: 07.03.2011