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        Siemens History

        From a small workshop in a back courtyard in Berlin to a global corporation: Few industrial companies can look back on such a long, successful history as Siemens can.

        Siemens history – a narrative
        What we offer

        Experiencing history first-hand

          Siemens has played an impressive role in shaping the technological evolution of Germany, Europe and the whole world. Come join us on a trip through Siemens history. Here are nine chapters of our exciting, ever-changing evolution as a company. Explore the innovative technologies that made Siemens the company it is today. Get to know the people who made our history. Our country profiles show that Siemens has always been an international firm. The site is rounded out with current History News and an overview of our work at the Siemens Historical Institute.

        The Company

        Anyone who deals with Siemens' history becomes a witness to exciting developments. Come with us on a thrilling trip through time.

        Technology

        For more than 170 years now, pioneering technologies and the business models built on them have been the foundation of Siemens. Find out more.

        The People

        The determination to shape the future has been a key trait of Siemens top managers and researchers. Get to know the people behind the story.

        Countries

        From Berlin into the wide world, via London and St. Petersburg – Siemens was international from early on. As our country profiles show.

        History News

        Key moments, important decisions, major anniversaries. Stories from our history make it come to life.

        Siemens Historical Institute

        Bridging the gap between the past, the present and the future – that's the daily work of the Siemens Historical Institute.

        In focus

        History News

        Only those who are aware of their own background and development, their key milestones and special characteristics, can manage the present and shape the future successfully.

        Shaping the Future. The Siemens Entrepreneurs 1847–2018

        Be a witness to exciting developments and immerse yourself in the first multimedial presentation of the history of our company.

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        Building for the future – A long-term commitment to the Berlin location

        It all started 171 years ago in Berlin, in a rear courtyard in Kreuzberg, where Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske founded the company that has long been at home throughout the world. A few decades later, at the end of the 19th century, the “startup” – as it would be referred to today – at Schöneberger Strasse 19 became a corporation that began planning a new, much larger site: Siemensstadt.

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        The year is 1847 – How it all began

        In the age of e-mail, SMS texting and Twitter, it is hard to image that a fast and reliable way to transmit messages was one of the central questions of the 19th century. Werner von Siemens recognized this challenge and focused his technical experiments and studies on electrical telegraphy, starting in the mid-1840s. With the construction of his pointer telegraph, he lays the foundation for the founding of the company over 170 years ago.

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        A master achievement in design

        Werner von Siemens discovered the dynamo-electric principle in 1866. Reversing that principle led to the development of the first electric motors, which toward the end of the 19th century began replacing the steam engines commonly used in many commercial and industrial operations, thus helping machine production to achieve a breakthrough. The world’s first reversing rolling mill engine, built by Siemens, became a pioneer in the electrification of the steel industry.

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        Present right from the start – Siemens and German Reunification

        Nearly 30 years after German reunification, Siemens maintains a presence in 14 cities in the eastern part of the country, where some 5,600 of its employees work at seven branch offices and at 13 manufacturing and development locations. Siemens is an important economic engine in Germany’s eastern region. This impact stems partly from the company’s development and manufacturing operations, sales and service organizations, and training programs. Another important factor, however, is Siemens’ work with local research partners in projects that drive progress by fostering vital innovations, such as those needed for enabling a successful energy transition and future mobility solutions.

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        Light bulb 2.0 – Siemens researcher Werner Bolton develops a sales hit

        At the beginning of the 20th century, electric light was far from a given. Many buildings continued to be illuminated with dangerous gas lighting. But thanks to the invention of the differential arc lamp, factories, public buildings, streets, and city squares were soon being lit by electricity – although it still wasn’t an option for private residences, since light from the commonly available carbon-filament incandescent lamps was too weak. Siemens recognized this gap in the market and looked for ways to improve the light bulb.

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        From Berlin, to Budapest, to the world: Siemens metros – past and present

        Siemens has been a pioneer in electromobility on rails since 1879, and has been building modern, high-performance mass transit systems since 1881. Whether as trams in dedicated lanes, as elevated trains, or as subways, Siemens’ technological innovations in rail traffic still stand today as pioneering achievements in the ongoing development of urban mobility worldwide.

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        Speed world record in the year 1903 – High speed railcar Zossen reaches 210 kilometers per hour

        In 1899, Siemens & Halske and its competitor AEG were each awarded an order to equip a high-speed railcar. The first test series began in October 1903. On a 23-kilometer stretch of test track between Berlin-Marienfelde and Zossen, speeds of more than 200 kilometers per hour were reached for the first time in the history of rail travel. The railcar’s single-phase alternating-current system was a milestone in the design of high-performance traction motors.

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        Business to Society: Making real what matters – Or: What we can learn from our history

        What can a company contribute to the general welfare? What influence can it have on the development of the societies and economies where it’s anchored? And what responsibility does it have in that regard?

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        Powerd up – Global megaprojects: Ireland and Egypt as successful showcases

        In 2015, Egypt declared war on power failures, and awarded Siemens its biggest contract of all time. The mission: generate power to serve 45 million people. A glance back at history shows that Siemens has always been the right partner for fast, reliable completion of such megaprojects.

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        Across borders – Siemens and China: Milestones in a successful partnership

        Siemens has been active in China since 1872. Over the course of more than 145 years, a collaborative partnership has been established based on trust. From the delivery of the first pointer telegraph to the construction of power plants and the “new Silk Road” – one of the largest infrastructure projects in human history – Siemens has always been an innovative and reliable partner across national and continental boundaries.

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        Halfway around the world in 28 minutes – Building the Indo-European Telegraph Line 150 years ago

        Several days – that’s how long it took back in the 19th century for news to travel from England, the heartland of the superpower of the day, to its most important colony, India. So when a message from London first reached Calcutta in “only” 28 minutes, it was a world sensation. That a telegram could be transmitted at all across the 11,000 kilometers between the two points was due in large part to Siemens, and became the foundation of the company’s international reputation.

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        Springboard to Asia – Siemens and Singapore: Partners for 110 years

        Siemens and Singapore are bound by a partnership lasting more than 100 years that is based on trust, innovation and looking to the future. The Southeast Asian metropolis is considered one of the most modern countries in the world – and Siemens has played an important role in that.

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        Highlights

        History Features

        The foreground needs a background. Where have we come from, and where are we heading?

        The only way to master the present and shape the future is to know one’s own past.  Innovativeness, a commitment to quality and customers, internationality, crisis-tested strength, adaptability and a powerful sense of responsibility: These characteristics have guided Siemens throughout its history. Over the course of more than 170 years, they’ve made it the company it is today.

        SIMATIC through history. From transistors to the digital factory

        Automation technology is the backbone of industrial production; it makes facilities more productive, efficient, reliable, and faster. With SIMATIC, in 1958 Siemens lays the foundation to its role as a global leader in automation technology. Join us on our journey through 60 years of SIMATIC history.

        Looking to the future. Werner von Siemens: Visionary and man of action

        Today, Siemens is one of the largest, most innovative companies in the world. This history feature tells how it all began, guiding visitors through the key moments in the company founder’s life. To tell the story, historic photographic material is used in new, surprising ways, combining evocative images with a 3-D sound track. It provides a new way of looking at Werner von Siemens as a pioneer and visionary who thought in entirely new, global ways for his era.

        Increasingly influential. Notes on the history of women at the company

        Women have played a key role at Siemens since the company’s early days. Just as society has changed, the importance of women workers at the company has steadily grown. From the first women workers in incandescent lamp production to power at the top levels of management: here are some historical notes on how women have contributed to the company’s success.

        Our team

        Siemens Historical Institute

        The Siemens Historical Institute has the task of documenting the diverse history of our technology company, founded in Berlin in 1847, as well as researching that history and making it accessible to a broad target audience. We work with well-known partners from academia and practical research to present the company’s economic, technical, and social development.  By bridging the gap between the past, the present and the future we help heightening the company’s profile.

        The only way to master the present and shape the future is to know one’s own past.

        Our fields of activity

        Our tasks and our goals

        We work with well-known partners from academia and in practical research to present the company’s economic, technical and social development, ­portraying it consistently with the highest scholarly standards. Our work therefore concentrates on three general areas of activity.

        Our Archives

        Procuring, documenting and transmitting knowledge about the technology company’s more than 170-year history: that’s our job. Find out more about our corporate archives, and experience history almost at first hand.

        Our Communications

        Siemens has a long, successful history that serves as the focus for the Siemens Historical Institute’s publications and projects. We make sure that Siemens’ history stays alive and vivid, within the economic, political, social and technological setting of each era. Find out more about our extensive holdings and services.

        Our Exhibitions

        Siemens appears in historical and current-events exhibitions, showrooms and experiential environments all over the world. We support the company’s communications activities by either developing exhibitions on our own initiative or cooperating with other departments in conceiving and producing similar projects.

        Our main pages

        Company

        Anyone who deals with Siemens' history becomes a witness to exciting developments. Come with us on a thrilling time trip.

        Technology

        For 170 years now, pioneering technologies have been the foundation of Siemens. Find out more.

        People

        The will to shape the future has defined Siemens entrepreneurs and scientists. Meet the people behind our history.

        Countries

        From Berlin into the wide world, via London and St. Petersburg – Siemens was an international company from early on. As our country profiles show.

        History News

        Key moments, important decisions, major anniversaries. Stories from our history make it come to life.

        Siemens Historical Institute

        Bridging the gap between the past, the present and the future – that's the daily work of the Siemens Historical Institute.