Chemnitz
Captured in Motion: Historic Stories of Cameras, Photography, and Vehicles
In 1826, the first known photograph was taken: the view from the window by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Marking 200 years of photography, this anniversary is the inspiration for our exhibition, on display from 26 September 2026 to 4 April 2027.
Running as a central thread throughout the exhibition is the historic camera collection of Pschemyslaw Nowicki. Born in Poland and now living in Chemnitz, he is presenting around 50 devices in our museum. The selection of cameras ranges from the wooden large-format camera by Gebrüder Huth (c. 1900) and the large Williamson F24 aerial camera used between 1915 and 1945, all the way to the Zenit PhotoSniper FS‑12. The collection spans approximately 100 years of camera history.
A truly unique highlight is the mobile darkroom that photographer and artist Thomas Kretschel built into a 1973 Nagetusch caravan. He works much like the first photojournalists and itinerant photographers of the 19th century, who once travelled across the countryside in horse-drawn wagons. Inside this vintage GDR vehicle, he uses silver and light to create photographs on specially prepared glass or tin plates—precisely according to the wet-plate collodion process developed in 1851.
Not many know that the beginnings of film history are rooted in Chemnitz. It was here in 1879 that Guido Seeber was born, the son of photographer Clemens Seeber. When the medium of film was introduced to Germany in 1896, both father and son were captivated. Before long, they were shooting their own films. As a "film pioneer", Guido Seeber moved to Berlin and became technical director of Deutsche Bioscop GmbH, the company that founded the legendary Babelsberg film studios in 1912. This special exhibition also takes a closer look at the work of Clemens and Guido Seeber.
Photographs from motorsport are documented alongside historic vehicles in another thematic section. For example, a typical scene from motor-paced track cycling as seen on race tracks in the 1950s is recreated.
Dates
Period: 17/10/2026 – 04/04/2027
Venue
Museum für sächsische Fahrzeuge
Zwickauer Straße
09112 Chemnitz
Phone: +49 371 2601196
Email: post@fahrzeugmuseum-chemnitz.de
Tickets & prices
Erwachsene: 8 €
Ermäßigt: 5 €
Kinder: freier Eintritt (in German)
Organiser: Museum für sächsische Fahrzeuge
