New monument to honour Bertha Benz's achievement

On August 5, 1888, Bertha Benz made automotive history taking the world's first long distance journey in the patent motor car designed by her husband, Carl Benz. Bertha completed the trip with her two sons, traveling 106 kilometers from Manheim to Pforzheim, the town of her birth, and returning a few days later. With the exception of a few minor incidents, the patent motor car functioned perfectly.

This famous long distance journey of Bertha Benz 120 years ago helped the automobile achieve the breakthrough it was looking for. To mark the 120th anniversary of this pioneering achievement, the town of Pforzheim unveiled a monument in honor of Bertha Benz and the first long-distance trip in automotive history on May 3, 2008. Bertha Benz was born on May 3, 1849. The celebrations are to be attended by her great-granddaughter Jutta Benz. The celebrations are to be attended by her great-granddaughter Jutta Benz.

The sculpture created by the famous Pforzheim artist Rene Dantes, is a representation of movement, as Dantes put it, "this historic journey of 1888 was a moving experience in every sense of the word." Dantes' stylized figure of Bertha Benz aboard the three-wheeled patent motor car looks straight ahead, symbolizing the tremendous impact the world's first automobile had on the future mobility of mankind.

The sculpture is placed at the Waisenhausplatz in Pforzheim's historic center right between the CCP congress center and the municipal theater. The site is bordered on one side by Zerrennstrabe, one of the town's main thoroughfares. The work of art also stands close to the historic route taken by Bertha Benz through Pforzheim, for it was here that the reliability of the great invention was demonstrated on several occasions.

The unveiling ceremony played host to a whole program of activities for children and adults Classic cars of different era's parading were one of the main attractions at the ceremony.