What would Adam be without Egon. And Egon without Adam? In 1964 they meet for the first time. How this meeting inspired a product that has kept its appeal to this day is a story unto itself.

 

Wieland, the Blacksmith

“How would you build a model of the dome of Berlin’s Memorial Church?” Professor Rolf Lederbogen asks this question in 1963 in search for the right person to head the new metal workshop at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). It comes at a time when Adam Wieland, a 27-year-old master blacksmith, is ready for a new challenge. His solution prevails over 50 competitors – and soon he is setting up the new workshop with 12 workplaces. Teaching modules include Materials Science, Manufacturing Technology and Modelmaking. Metalworking becomes part of the core curriculum for some 190 architecture students a year. Fascinated by his ingenious ideas, they give him the moniker “Wieland, the Blacksmith”. After all, the Germanic legend was also a master of his craft.