Bertha Benz — What was her legacy?
The daughter of a wealthy carpenter's family, Bertha Benz was born in 1849 at a time when women were still denied access to higher education. Despite this, she developed a desire to achieve something world-changing at an early age. Her interest in technical matters and railways laid the foundation for her legacy. Learn more about the beginnings of Mercedes Benz now.
What does the Bertha Benz ride mean?
When she marries the penniless engineer and inventor Carl Benz, Bertha Benz has no idea that she will play an epoch-making role in the history of the automobile. On the contrary, she experiences hunger, hardship and the ridicule of society. When, after years of hard work, her husband's invention did not meet with the approval of the paying public, Bertha Benz decided to take action. Together with her two sons, she undertook her first long-distance journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back again in August 1888 with the Benz Patent Motor Car. With extraordinary energy for a woman of the time, she proves the functionality of the Benz Patent Motor Car to the world with the “Bertha Benz Ride”.
What does the Bertha Benz ride mean?
Officially a tourist and vacation route since 2008, the Bertha Benz Memorial Route largely follows Bertha Benz's historic long-distance journey in 1888. The approximately 194 km long Bertha Benz Route from Mannheim to Karlsruhe and back again links the original locations of her journey and leads through one of the most beautiful vacation regions in the world:
- highlights such as the romantic city of Heidelberg with its historic castle, vibrant old town and one of the oldest universities in Europe
- the palace garden of the asparagus town of Schwetzingen
- the world-famous Black Forest
- Ladenburg with its beautiful medieval town center, which rests on Roman foundations, the Dr. Carl Benz Museum and the Benz family home
- the fan-shaped city of Karlsruhe, the birthplace of Dr. Carl Benz
- Hockenheim with its Formula 1 circuit and motor sports museum
The Bertha Benz film - Mercedes turns the spotlight on the woman without whom the brand with the three-pointed star would probably never have existed
Bertha Benz's pioneering journey took place more than 130 years ago and is still a role model today. In a
four-minute movie, the global mobility group Mercedes turns the spotlight on the woman without whom the car
brand would probably never have existed. The Bertha Benz film is about a strong Bertha Benz as a timeless role
model for all women and men on International Women's Day on March 8.
Accompanying the film, female executives from various fields talk about what they can still learn from Bertha
Benz and her legacy today. Bertha Benz, a role model for all pioneers of today!
