Borsig

Arcade of locomotive builder Borsig

In 1837, August Borsig set up a workshop on Chausseestraße in Berlin. Three years later, he assembled his first locomotive, the first of many.

Contains Background Information

The hundredth locomotive rolled off the production line as early as 1846. Founder Borsig was just around the corner from building the five hundredth locomotive but died in 1854 due to a stroke. He was buried at the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof opposite his factory in Chausseestraße.

After Borsig's death, between 1858 and 1860, Johann Heinrich Strack, a student of the Berlin master builder Schinkel, built an arcade at the factory entrance. (photo public domain) A quarter of a century later, the arcade had disappeared from the street scene and that had everything to do with the enormous growth of Borsig.

Move to Tegel

Less than half a century after its founding, Borsig became Europe's largest locomotive builder. The factory on Chausseestraße was bursting at the seams, which is why Borsig moved to Tegel. The vacant workshops were razed to the ground in 1887.

Today, only the Borsighaus and the further Borsigstraße remind us of the locomotive builder. Elsewhere, you will find more tangible traces. Part of the arcade that shielded the Borsig factory from the street was rebuilt in 1901 in the Technical University of Berlin park.

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Arcade of locomotive builder Borsig

Move to Tegel

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