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100 years of Rhönrad: A legacy full of elegance and challenges!
Learn the history of the rhön wheel and Otto Feick's invention in Schönau - an interesting journey through 100 years of sports history.
100 years of Rhönrad: A legacy full of elegance and challenges!
The fascinating history of the rhön wheel, which was patented by Otto Feick 100 years ago, is currently being given a new appreciation. Originally inspired by a toy owned by his grandfather, Feick found his muse while in prison in Mainz. There, the Palatinate locksmith designed the device that today inspires athletes worldwide and that also demands great performance in competitions. After his imprisonment, Feick developed his ideas in a small metal workshop in Schönau and named the wheel “Rhönrad” in honor of his new home.
Feick's innovative invention quickly became popular. He toured variety shows in Germany and internationally with a model group before he died impoverished in 1959. Despite selling his patent to investors, the legacy of the Rhönrad remained alive in his homeland. Today there is a Rhönrad monument and the Otto-Feick-Weg in Schönau, even if the plans for a Rhönrad museum failed due to financial reasons. The sport was revitalized in the 1950s and became official sports equipment of the German Gymnastics Federation in 1956, which led to the first German championship in 1960. Since then, German athletes have been internationally successful in wheel gymnastics.
Wheel gymnastics and its disciplines
Wheel gymnastics has established itself as an elegant sport that requires strength, balance, body tension and flexibility. A wheel weighs around 50 kilograms and consists of two parallel steel tires that are connected by rungs. Gymnasts are connected to the wheel using leather loops on two boards. The diameters of the rhön wheels vary between 1.30 and 2.45 meters, while prices for smaller devices start at around 1,100 euros.
- Geradeturnen (mit oder ohne Musik)
- Spiraleturnen
- Sprung
In straight gymnastics, the gymnastics wheel rolls back and forth on both tires and combines elements from horizontal bar and parallel bars gymnastics. In the adult area, straight gymnastics is often accompanied by music. Spiral gymnastics, on the other hand, requires the wheel to move on just one tire, while jumping involves pushing the wheel and the gymnast lands on a soft floor mat after various jumps. The niche of wheel gymnastics is appreciated by young talents like Klara Kiefer and Sara Richter, who also notice that the demand is greater than the space available in their training facilities.
Honor for Otto Feick
The “Kurpfälzer Meile der Innovations” association is currently planning to honor Otto Feick and his Rhönrad. A bronze plaque with his achievements is to be installed as the 41st plaque in front of Mannheim Castle. These panels commemorate significant innovations and are part of a series that has been erected since May 30, 2017. Feick, who comes from the municipality of Reichenbach, is receiving the recognition his legacy deserves.
Even if wheel gymnastics is not featured in major sports portals or on television, it remains an impressive discipline that requires unique skills and is constantly evolving.
For more information about the celebrations and history of the Rhönrad, visit the articles from Antenne, Rheinpfalz and Insüdthüringen.