Gottlieb Daimler was born in Schorndorf on 17 March 1834. The Daimler family, also called Deumler or Teimbler, had for two hundred years been living in Schorndorf which had some 4,000 inhabitants at the time Daimler was born.

The Daimlers had been master bakers for generations. Since 1787, at the latest, the Daimler bakery had been in number 7 "Höllgasse" or "Helle Gasse" ('light alley'). Gottlieb's father Johannes Deumler took over the family business, which meanwhile included a wine parlour, in 1825. Johannes and his wife Wilhelmine Friederike née Fensterer, a dyer's daughter, had four sons: Johannes (born 1832), Gottlieb Wilhelm (born 1834), Karl Wilhelm (born 1840) and Christian Albrecht (born 1845). A trader in bread and wine, Daimler's father was not a rich man, but he nevertheless gave young Gottlieb a sound education, first at the local Latin school, then at the Royal trade school in Stuttgart. Gottlieb Daimler acquired manual skills as a gunsmith's apprentice; his journeyman's piece was a double-barrelled, elaborately decorated pistol.

Gottlieb Daimler left Schorndorf in 1853 to return only infrequently. He had attracted the attention of Ferdinand Steinbeis, promoter of industrialisation in Württemberg, who helped him find a job as an industrial worker in Graffenstaden near Strasbourg in preparation of his studies at a Polytechnic. The business in Höllgasse was run by his brothers Johannes and Karl Wilhelm. Financial difficulties forced Karl Wilhelm's widow to sell the house in 1897.

In 1979, the house where one of the company's founders had been born was acquired by Daimler-Benz AG. To restore the house to its original condition to the greatest possible extent, the brickwork had to be replaced, while the wooden structures and cellars could be retained. With the exception of minor changes at the back of the house, the latter reflects the original layout of the rooms. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Gottlieb Daimler's death on 6 March 2000, the exhibition on the ground floor was renewed.

Gottlieb Daimler's notebook on his journey to Russia in 1881 reveals a sensitive observer and a man well versed in the arts. His extensive journeys and the limited transport opportunities prompted Daimler to develop a vision that was to change the world:

Gottlieb-Daimler-House
Höllgasse 7, 73614 Schorndorf

Opening hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 10.00 a.m. until 6.00 p.m.
Friday from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
During August by prior arrangement only
Closed between Chistmas and New Year’s Day
Free entrance

Contact:
Phone: +49 (0) 71 81/66 51 0
(only during opening hours)