[CR]A Visit to the Embacher Collection-Vienna, Austria

(Example: Events:Eroica)

Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:24:13 +0000 (GMT)
From: <gholl@optonline.net>
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]A Visit to the Embacher Collection-Vienna, Austria

On a serendipitous suggestion from CR member Ray Dobbins (thanks Ray!) my son and I visited the Embacher bike collection in Vienna last week. The collection can be seen on its own web-site http://www.sammlung-embacher.at, or, better yet, in a very attractive table top book called "Smart Move-Bicycles from the Embacher Collection", with excellent photographs and some amusing commentary. All collections in some way express the character of collector. Such is true of the Embacher Collection. Michael Embacher, a Viennese architect, with no connection to cycling whatsoever, began to collect about five years ago. In that time he has assembled a collection of over 200 bicycles, many of which are ingenously housed in an urban attic space above his architecture firm in Vienna's district. Both the scope and audacity of this collection are remarkable. In order to collect 200 bicycles in five years, I reckon he has bought one bike every 9 to 10 days, at a cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of these bikes were random purchases on eBay, others were bought at swap meets, and yet others from some of the most high priced dealers. They are cleverly arranged in a limited urban attic space, producing a kind of "Dolly Parton" effect, i.e. too much for too little. Although storage is maximized, the bikes are difficult to remove from their racks and the small space is not especially conducive to viewing and less so to photography. For these reasons, the collection, although worth seeing, may not be worth going to see, the more so, since it can be viewed on its own web-site (with a special feature allowing magnification), and, as already mentioned, the most interesting bikes may be perused in Embacher's book. Embacher himself is a affable but driven fellow with a substantial architecture practice, which seems to leave him with little time, making the challenge of assembling such a large collection the more daunting. This collection is by no means one of racing bikes, although there are a few very nice examples, but rather, like the Hunterian Medical Collection, a broad assembly of bicycle curiosities-albeit some very beautiful ones. As an architect, Embacher is especially fascinated by design, and I believe his real love is complex folding bikes such as the Scoot, the Duemila, the Sapper and numerous Moultons. But the fans of touring bikes will not be disappointed, the collection boasts some very nice Herses. The steel purist will, unfortunately, be offended by a number of very unusual carbon fiber, aluminium and even magnesium bikes. Other varities of bikes, including such diverse machines as time-trail racers, tandems, mountain bikes, working bikes and even an ice racer are to be seen. Embacher claims to use many of these bikes and claims that his pleasure in them is the driving force in collecting rather than a purely historical goal. Some of the bikes have been restored, others are in various states of conservation. Embacher is very friendly to vistors, has good English, but feigns a lack of knowledge about bikes. In 2006 he displayed part of his collection to the Vienese public using a special large rack which could be raised and lowered. Lately his collection has been featured in German language TV and bike publications.

George Hollenberg MD
CT, USA