Driving from Wetzlar to the
new Leica headquarters at Leitz Park, you first arrive at a large roundabout
with a huge globe off center. It was a
present to the city of Wetzlar from the Leitz Park corporation and Andreas Kaufmann, chairman
of the board of Leica Camera AG.
The globe and roundabout came
at a price of half a million euros. It has
a weight of four metric tons and a diameter of 16.5 feet. The globe is covered with over 1000 circular
plates of different diameters, outlining the various continents. In Europe, at the position of Germany or more
precisely, Wetzlar, a red plate marks the home of Leica.
The view of the globe when arriving from the east
The design came largely from
Karin Rehn-Kaufmann and it was implemented by the Frankfurt-based landscape architecture
company Wewer. The globe was built in
Ludwigshafen by the firm of Kunstwerk Maudach.
The inside is hollow. It was
built along the same principles as the hulls of ships. It arrived at Leitz Park in two halves which
were welded together along the equator.
Even motorists were part of
the considerations for the design of the globe.
It is sandblasted to a matte finish to prevent reflections of the sun
that might blind the driver.
By now the globe has become
another landmark besides the amazing architecture of the new Leica headquarters
at Leitz Park in Wetzlar, which is once again the Mecca of all Leica
enthusiasts.
Areal view of Leitz Park with the globe in front
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