The invention of the beach chair

The first “beach chair” is unveiled in Mecklenburg

Wilhelm Barthelmann, basket maker to the ducal court in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was working in his workshop in Rostock in 1882, when a customer suffering from rheumatism asked whether he could make a chair that she could use on the beach, and which would protect her from the wind and sun. Barthelmann came up with a solution made of willow and cane, which did the job admirably. Other visitors to the beach liked it so much that he soon received a steady stream of orders for his new product. In 1883, he designed a model for two people, which was later called the Strandkorb or “beach basket”. In the same year, Barthelmann’s wife began renting out beach chairs in Warnemünde and later expanded their business by opening branches in several coastal towns in Mecklenburg.

Although Barthelmann’s former employees began with the mass production of beach chairs in the early 20th century, the innovation did not spread to most beaches in the Baltic and North Sea until after the First World War. Today, beach chairs following Barthelmann’s design can be found all over the world.