Colossus paves the way for IPK
What a colossus! This old road roller weighs 3.5 tonnes and is closely linked to both the history of IPK and the town of Gatersleben. It is all the more astonishing that it had almost been forgotten.
“Gerhard Steinborn, a scientist who had worked at the IPK for many years, rediscovered the roller about six years ago in a wooded area directly behind the test fields,” says local historian Andreas Czihal. “It was standing there completely abandoned and overgrown.”
The tool, which probably dates from around 1900, made its first comeback some time ago. “The roller is now being used again, whether for levelling water-bound field paths in the spring or for compacting them after repair work,” explains Peter Schreiber, head of the “Experimental Fields and Nurseries” working group at the IPK. Then the idea arose to make the roller permanently visible again. “Since it is an impressive historic piece of equipment, we searched the campus for a long time for a suitable location and finally decided on the area near the orchard.” Andreas Czihal is very pleased about this. “The roller is probably the oldest piece of equipment still in existence at the institute, and I'm sure many museums would love to have such an exhibit.”
The local historian suspects that the old roller originated from the Gatersleben estate. “The estate’s tenant founded the sugar factory near the railway station and was very interested in good roads and paths, so that as many beetroots as possible could be brought to the factory,” says Andreas Czihal. Hans Stubbe, the founding director of today’s IPK, probably discovered the roller in the estate's inventory - the foundation of today’s institute in Gatersleben. After the Second World War, the reddish granite roller was used to consolidate the ground on which the institute's current buildings stand and to construct paths. “The oldest document proving its use is a photograph from the 1960s showing the roller between two greenhouses.”
The chassis of the old roller consists of a two-sided, interchangeable steel frame with drawbars in both directions. “This means that the roller does not have to be turned around. In the past, the horses simply had to be reattached, which was easier,” says Andreas Czihal. Originally, the chassis was probably made of wood. The roller body is 1.12 metres wide and has a radius of 60 centimetres. However, the origin of the granite and the manufacturer of the implement are both unknown.
Andreas Czihal, who joined the institute in 1974, had never seen the roller on the premises before. Therefore, it was all the more exciting when Gerhard Steinborn discovered it by chance. “I fell in love with this historic piece of equipment immediately,” says the local historian. “And, of course, I am delighted that it is being brought back to life for a second time.”
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Incidentally, the first documented road roller, which weighed 1.5 tonnes (considerably less than the Gatersleben roller), dates back to 1725 and had an iron body. It was invented by Jacob Leupold. The first iron roller was officially introduced in Prussia in 1825, 100 years after its invention.
Early road rollers were powered by draft animals and had a heavy roller body that ran on an axle and was pulled by several animals. These rollers were made of metal or stone. The cylindrical body was attached to wooden or metal frames to which the animals were harnessed. Sometimes additional weights were placed on the roller to increase its effectiveness.
The transition from animal-powered to mechanically powered rollers began with the invention of the steamroller by Thomas Aveling and others in the 19th century. Steamrollers offered many advantages, including greater and more uniform compaction power, as well as independence from the physical endurance of animals.
The first paved roads appeared as early as the 4th millennium BC, primarily in ancient Mesopotamia. It is unclear whether rollers were used in their construction. Infobox:
Incidentally, the first documented road roller, which weighed 1.5 tonnes (considerably less than the Gatersleben roller), dates back to 1725 and had an iron body. It was invented by Jacob Leupold. The first iron roller was officially introduced in Prussia in 1825, 100 years after its invention.
Early road rollers were powered by draft animals and had a heavy roller body that ran on an axle and was pulled by several animals. These rollers were made of metal or stone. The cylindrical body was attached to wooden or metal frames to which the animals were harnessed. Sometimes additional weights were placed on the roller to increase its effectiveness.
The transition from animal-powered to mechanically powered rollers began with the invention of the steamroller by Thomas Aveling and others in the 19th century. Steamrollers offered many advantages, including greater and more uniform compaction power, as well as independence from the physical endurance of animals.
The first paved roads appeared as early as the 4th millennium BC, primarily in ancient Mesopotamia. It is unclear whether rollers were used in their construction.