Tent Factory Stromeyer

26 models originate from the tent factory Stromeyer in Constance. They are interesting in context with the Frei Otto archive. The company Stromeyer was founded in 1872 by Ludwig Stromeyer and Julius Landauer in Romanshorn/Switzerland near Constance. First they produced sacks as well as horse rugs and tarpaulines. In 1873 another factory was build in Constance and the swiss parent company transferred to Kreuzlingen shortly after that. In 1874 originates a factory for water proof tent squares beside the gasworks of Constance on a ground of 4,000 squaremeter. Since 1878 the company produces circus' big tops too. In this year Landauer retired, but Ludwig Stromeyer changed the companies name not before 1881 in L. Stromeyer & Co. In 1885 started the canvas covers rental as a new line of business, soon extendet on large marquees. Finally in 1888 the Deutsches Reich commissioned 100,000 canvas covers. In 1905/06 a new factory building was errected on the Lohnerhof-area in which all the Constance production sites were united. Since 1914 the company provided mainly army equipments to the german and other armies. In 1919 the production was reorganized to civile goods, but since 1933 the company prospered again by armament orders. After the second world war the production started again in the end of 1945 for the equipment of the french army.
For big tents, which are interesting here first of all, the department W was responsible. Here some sails, wave tents, membranes, rope meshes, convertible roofs and air-inflated tents were developed, for example the 40,000 sqm membrane roof of the Swiss National Exhibiton in Lausanne in 1964 and the German Expo Pavilion in Montreal 1967.