Centennial Mercedes-Benz - DaimlerChrysler Chronicle 1883-1998

Author: DaimlerChrysler AG Konzernarchiv
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: Karl Benz's father was a train driver, and when he was just two years old, his father passed away tragically. Despite the difficult family circumstances, his mother still provided him with good learning conditions. Karl Benz completed high school and then enrolled in the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, studying under Ferdinand Redtenbacher. After graduating, he interned at a local machinery manufacturing company for two years, where he familiarized himself with the work of various departments. Upon completing his internship, he worked as a draughtsman at a weighing machine factory in Mannheim, which was his first official job. In 1868, he experienced unemployment but soon found work at the Banksser brothers' ironworks machinery factory, a company involved in bridge construction. Karl's interest in motor vehicles stemmed from his love for bicycles; in fact, many people were already experimenting with bicycles at the time. Later, his job situation changed again, and he left the Banksser brothers' company to take a short-term position at an iron manufacturing company in Vienna.