Alsfeld stellt aus!Upper Hessian Industry and Trade Exhibition in Alsfeld

This event can be traced back to the Alsfeld Local Trades Association, which had been in existence since 1862. At the general meeting of the regional trade association in Mainz in 1894, it requested that the next meeting be combined with a trade exhibition in Alsfeld. Thus, from August 25 to September 15, 1895, the great Upper Hessian trade exhibition took place. 183 exhibitors from 27 trade groups from industry and crafts presented themselves on the grounds on Lutherstraße.

A specially constructed 30 x 13 meter exhibition hall and a restoration hall were used for the show. In addition, rooms of the neighboring secondary school could be used. Strict “site regulations” were issued. Anyone found without a valid admission ticket had to “pay the admission fee and then leave the exhibition immediately. In addition, he was threatened with “legal penalties”.

In retrospect, however, the “Catalog” designed by the Alsfeld book printer Julius Cellarius is particularly noteworthy. In addition to a “Guide to Alsfeld and the surrounding area” as a source of information for out-of-town visitors, the numerous advertisements of the exhibiting companies, rich in pictures and fantasy, form a valuable document from the time of the German Empire. NH