Table of contents
- PS.Speicher Museum Well stored
- 4000 m² of exhibition space, over 300 motorcycles and cars
- Machines awaken memories and references
- Info
Siemer
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Opening of the PS storage facility in Einbeck
PS.Speicher Museum
Well stored
About a huge collection of German motorcycles, the granary of a half-timbered town, a noble donor – and the miracle that brought it all together: Hurray, the PS.Speicher in Einbeck has opened!
Fred Siemer
23/10/2014
Everything should have turned out very differently. Namely, according to Karl-Heinz Rehkopf’s will. The 77-year-old entrepreneur had decreed that the motorcycle collection he had assembled should be made available to the public, but only after his death. This detail, however, did not please the administrators of the will, because Rehkopf would not leave a standard garage filled with more or less classic junk. But a good 1000 almost entirely roadworthy two-, three- and four-wheelers, mostly of German origin, gathered over 50 years of determined passion for collecting. The gentlemen sensed complications, referring to the healthy state of health of the future deceased, his creative joy in general and that of the technical cultural asset in particular. In short: They persuaded him to kindly complete this part of his life’s work himself.
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But all their pushing might have fizzled out if a huge granary hadn’t come into play. The agricultural-industrial monument, located on the edge of the half-timbered city center of Einbeck in Lower Saxony, was a listed building for good reason, but it also fell into disrepair for good reasons: What do you do with such a six-story, maintenance-intensive giant?
4000 m² of exhibition space, over 300 motorcycles and cars
Karl-Heinz Rehkopf has lived in Einbeck, the small town between Gottingen and Hanover, for over 20 years. Not far away, in the potters’ village of Fredelsloh, he developed his first motorcycle at the age of 16. With Tonstechen, a 100 Victoria from 1936. The headquarters of his hardware store chain is also in this region. So Rehkopf is down-to-earth in the best sense of the word – and saw in the granary not only the honorable end of his most beautiful collector’s items, but also the ideal opportunity to give something back to his homeland. In 2009 the “Kulturstiftung Kornhaus” was founded.
On July 23, what Rehkopf had worked for in recent years with many fellow campaigners and what could be achieved with the enormous investment sum of 25 million euros finally opened: the PS.Speicher, a museum journey through the history of private transport, a deep insight into the German motorcycle construction, a magic full of wonderful motorcycles and some wonderful cars, a six-story walk through your own memories and those of your fathers or grandfathers, an experience that, despite 4000 square meters of exhibition space and over 300 motorcycles and cars on display, much too early, but at least all in one well run restaurant ends. Rehkopf’s claim that the exhibition must be vivid and varied is far exceeded by what has been seen: The PS.Speicher is certainly unparalleled in Central Europe.
Right at the top, in the first room, the engine comes out onto the street, enlivening rickety chaises and dry bicycle frames. The first motorcycle in the world, the Hildebrand & Wolfmuller, stands for this era as well as an unrestored NSU two-cylinder 2.5 hp. At the latest on the floor below, the collection proves its unique depth, because in addition to the first BMW, an R 32, there are exquisite treasures here under the slogan “1914–1929: The motorcycle for everyone” such as an unrestored Victoria KR 1 (also with a BMW -Boxer, but with a transverse crankshaft installed), a Mars (with a box frame made of sheet steel), a Neracar (quasi the original meter of the scooter) and a Reichsfahrt model (the first DKW) a rendezvous – among other things, of course. And for the first time, the visitor is also surrounded by a recreated scene: In front of the streets of Einbeck and on historical-looking cobblestones, three stately motorcycles make themselves rather small next to a luxurious Horch Type 350. The automotive luxury giant acts here, like all its conspecifics, more of an accessory, but it transports it realistic view of the big picture – automobility primarily has to do with cars, at least as a tendency. However, it was massively effective at first on two wheels, and this is one of the main focuses of the collection: possibly due to the first machine of his own – his cute Victoria – Karl-Heinz Rehkopf was always interested in the odds and ends that moved normal people. So the third room “1930– 1945: People’s Vehicles” could be equipped without any need, but at the same time it bears testimony to the leading role played by the German motorcycle industry at the time. Block engine, telescopic fork, two-stroke engine – Neckarsulm, Munich, Nuremberg and Zschopau set the trends.
Machines awaken memories and references
This round dance will continue into the future, and will not leave out difficult post-war years as well as high-spirited love & Peace, Florett shows like Mammut, dares to venture into hydrogen, to networked mobility – and yes, some Europeans and Japanese also appear. Karl-Heinz Rehkopf knew that, due to the decline of the German motorcycle industry, his collection had been left standing for a long time from the day before yesterday. Only after the foundation was established did he include one or the other icon of the boom years: Honda CB 750, Kawasaki Z 900, Yamaha RD 350, Norton Commando, Ducati 750 SS.
It is true that a motorcycle museum whose motto is “Wheels that move us” also needs such exhibits. They represent times when the motorcycle was part of the leisure time. Machines from Adler to Zundapp tell much better what happened on the long way there. Because they arouse memories and references, become witnesses of their own, German history: With the Wehrmacht team it goes into the disaster, with Simsons Schwalbe to the quarry pond, with Zundapps KS 50 to the disco. Really, because ingenious arrangements and illuminating texts make the historical backward roll easier – and have so far delighted over 12,000 visitors. It is also evident, despite the stressful start-up phase, how happy Karl-Heinz Rehkopf is to have seen it all.
Info
PS memory: Tiedexer Tor 3, 37574 Einbeck
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Tuesdays: events for registered groups / school classes)
Prices: Adults € 12.50, reduced € 7.50, family ticket € 30, group price from 20 people: € 10.50 per person
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