From horse-drawn carriages to AI combine harvesters: 100 years of Grüne Woche upclose

What a view: from the cab of Claas' gigantic Lexion 8900 Terra Trac, you can see the entire Hall 26a. It represents a new generation of agricultural machinery with smart technology. The large combine harvester for soybeans, wheat, or oats records yield data while driving across the field. The green exhibition cubes, displaying the history of Grüne Woche, look like toy blocks from up here.

But it's worth taking a closer look at the pictures and texts on them. Because they tell the eventful history of Grüne Woche. From its beginnings as a trade fair under the radio tower in 1926, it has developed into a favorite of Berliners. It got its name from the press: it refers to the green loden coats worn by conference guests, which dominated the streetscape in January.

Inventions such as the horse vacuum cleaner and an egg preservation machine with space for 5,000 chicken eggs, which was designed to preserve them by rotating like an oversized cable reel, date back to the early years of the fair. Even back then, visitors were allowed to sample local honey on canapés, which hostesses distributed from an oversized beehive. In addition to agriculture, which was still an important economic sector in Berlin at the time, hunting played an important role. This is demonstrated, among other things, by an exhibition of hunting antlers from 1931.

Decline and reconstruction

The National Socialists exploited the Grüne Woche for their propaganda. A statue of Hitler with a plow welcomed guests in 1934. Five more trade fairs took place before the outbreak of war, which the Nazis used to spread their messages of hate and warmongering. During the war and in the years that followed, trade fair activities came to a standstill. But as early as 1948, the Grüne Woche made its comeback. Even though the hams were still made of cardboard, exhibits such as a giant white cabbage gave Berliners hope for a future without hunger. During the blockade, the airlift supplied the fair with goods.

Internationalization and automation

Over the years, the fair became increasingly international. In 1951, the Netherlands was the first foreign exhibitor to take part. The Western Allies played an important role: the USA participated in 1967 with a Western village. In 1985, they recreated the Golden Gate Bridge in the exhibition halls. The British set up a British supermarket. However, automation in agriculture was also an important topic and was demonstrated by inventions such as the first fully automatic milking machine. The trade fair experienced a renewed upswing with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Some GDR citizens saw tropical fruits such as pineapples for the first time at the fair. In 2002, couples were able to get married in the flower hall.

Today, in Hall 26a, a wedding carriage from 1900 takes guests back in time – opposite a tractor with wheels as tall as a man. This is how history and the present come together.