Let There Be Light! The Electricity from Around 1910 by Thomas Kauer at the Gardener and Hacker Museum

In the house of today's Gardener and Hacker Museum, lamps, wiring, light switches, and fuse panels installed by Thomas Kauer around 1908/10 have been preserved to this day. The new cabinet exhibition makes these extraordinary witnesses of early electrification the central theme for the first time and shows how technological progress made its way into a Bamberg gardener's household. Thomas Kauer came from a gardening family and learned the profession of electrical installer around 1900 at the company Groß & Bohrer in Bamberg. While many gardening households were still lighting their living spaces with gas lamps or candles back then, the Kauer family was already able to take advantage of the emerging electric lighting. The house is thus among the early examples of electrified residential buildings in the gardening environment. Over the years, Thomas Kauer repaired wiring and individual components of the system and improved power generation. However, he never completely replaced the original installation. This aspect makes the preserved switches, wiring, and technical facilities today significant historical testimonies. They provide an authentic insight into the development of domestic power supply at the beginning of the 20th century. The cabinet exhibition narrates the story of electrification and its effects on everyday life through the original electrical installation. The example of the Gardener and Hacker Museum illustrates how technological innovations sustainably changed the lives and work of people.