Object of the Summer

Simson KR 50

Welcome to our collection-show "Object of the Season"!

For one season at a time, we are shining a spotlight on an object, a story, or an invention from our collection that would otherwise remain hidden in the museum's depot, archives, or library of the Technisches Landesmuseum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

What many people don't know is that museums and their collections operate on the "iceberg principle". Alongside "exhibiting" and "education", our core duties also include "collecting", "researching", and "preserving" – all with the aim of documenting the technological and industrial history of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and bringing it to life. With this new format, we want to draw attention to these hidden treasures!

Everyday Life on Two Wheels

Our current "Object of the Summer" is a 1963 Simson KR 50, which was mass-produced from 1958 to 1964 by the VEB Fahrzeug- und Gerätebau Simson Suhl (VEB State-Owned Enterprise for Vehicle and Equipment Manufacture Simson Suhl). Even more famous today is its legendary successor: the KR 51, better known as the Schwalbe (Swallow). As part of the famous Simson Vogelserie (bird series: Schwalbe, Spatz [Sparrow], Star [Starling], Sperber [Sparrowhawk], Habicht [Hawk]), over 1.1 million units were built between 1964 and 1986. Thanks to its 3.4 to 3.7 hp, this popular two-seater reached a top speed of 60 km/h.

Thanks to a special clause in the German Unification Treaty, it is still classified as a Kleinkraftrad (light motorcycle/moped) despite its 60 km/h top speed, and can be ridden by 15-year-olds without standard registration – a major reason for its enduring popularity compared to modern scooters, which are limited to 45 km/h. As a result, Simson vehicles have become a true cultural icon.

The Simson KR 50

The KR 50 was the first small scooter produced in the GDR. Between 1958 and 1964, a total of 164,500 units were built; our exhibit dates from 1963.

Technical Specifications at a Glance
- Engine capacity: just under 50 cc (which gave the scooter its name)
- Engine: Single-cylinder two-stroke engine (VEB Büromaschinenwerk Sömmerda) with 2.3 hp (from model year 1963 onwards)
- Range & fuel tank: 6.8-litre tank capacity for a range of up to 270 km
- Transmission: Two-speed hand-shift gear change and kick-starter

Unlike the Schwalbe, the KR 50 was strictly a single-seater. While its enclosed sheet-metal bodywork offered excellent protection against dirt, the high amount of metal required led to comparatively low production numbers within the GDR shortage economy – by comparison, over 900,000 of the Simson SR2 moped were produced.

Tell us your story!

Your personal connection, knowledge, and memories are incredibly important to us for this exhibition! In this exhibition, you have the chance to share your own personal experience of the object with us and our other visitors.

Whether it’s your first holiday by the Baltic Sea on a Schwalbe or your everyday working life – from authors to machinists: become a part of our museum summer and add your story to our noticeboard!

Simply email your memory, including a photo and text, to pr@phantechnikum.de or send it via Instagram to @tlm.mv. We will print it out and put your memory right up on our museum noticeboard!