Computer History Museum Recovers 2,000 Retro Artifacts from Abandoned German Warehouse
The Computer History Museum has recovered over 2,000 retro computing artifacts from an abandoned warehouse in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany. The collection spans the 1930s to 1980s and includes rare computing relics. The museum's curators worked with a local tax advisor to identify the site, which was briefly interrupted by a WWII bomb scare. The artifacts have been transported to California for preservation and display.
Key points
- The Computer History Museum (CHM) recovered over 2,000 retro computing artifacts from an abandoned warehouse in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany.
- The collection spans the 1930s to 1980s and includes rare computing relics.
- A local tax advisor in Dortmund, Germany, alerted the CHM to the potential discovery.
- The museum's curators, Dag Spicer and Alex Bochannek, worked with the tax advisor to investigate the site, which was briefly interrupted by a WWII bomb scare.
- The artifacts have been transported to California for preservation and display.
The Computer History Museum has made a significant discovery in the field of computer history. Over 2,000 retro computing artifacts were recovered from an abandoned warehouse in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany. The collection spans the 1930s to 1980s and includes rare computing relics.
The museum's curators, Dag Spicer and Alex Bochannek, worked with a local tax advisor in Dortmund, Germany, to identify the site. The advisor had discovered the potential treasure trove and shared large-format photos with the CHM. The curators then flew to Germany to investigate the site, which was briefly interrupted by the discovery of an unexploded WWII bomb nearby.
The warehouse was a massive three-story design, and the curators implemented a pallet grid system to collect the huge array of computer systems and peripherals. The resulting array of artifacts took up most of the floor in a 72 x 165 feet footprint.
The artifacts have been transported to California for preservation and display. The Computer History Museum is committed to preserving and showcasing the history of computing, and this discovery is a significant addition to their collection.
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