You’re Invited: Official Opening of Leica Camera AG in Leitz-Park, Wetzlar & Celebration of ‘100 Years of Leica Photography’ 24 May 2014

This video presents “Leitz Park: Leica Camera AG headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany.”

This is an updated video rendering of the new Leitz Park (Leica Camera AG headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany).

Leica Camera AG: A renderingn of Leitz-Park, Wetzlar

This is an update to these previous blogs:

‘100 Years of Leica Photography’ 1914-2014: Leica Camera Celebrates Their Centennial Year; and
New Leica Headquarters: Ground-Breaking Ceremony at Leitz Park in Wetzlar, Germany.

Leica Camera AG – Open Day in Leitz-Park, Wetzlar

Saturday 24 May 2014

Between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

FREE Admission

Leica Camera AG
Am Leitz-Park 5
35578 Wetzlar
Germany

Phone: +49 (0)6441 2080-0
E-Mail: info@leica-camera.com

“Wetzlar, in the German state of Hesse, is the birthplace of the Leica camera and the home of Ernst Leitz, the company that went on to become Leica Camera AG. This is where, 100 years ago, Oskar Barnack invented and constructed the first successful still-picture camera for 35 mm cine film with a negative format of 24 × 36 mm and laid the foundation of the Leica 35 mm camera – an innovation that irrevocably changed the world of photography and paved the way for countless classic, spectacular, historic and earth-shattering photographs.”

Leica invites you to the official opening of their new complex and the celebration of ‘100 Years of Leica Photography’ and warmly invites you to visit Leica’s ‘Open Day’ to enjoy the following celebratory activities:

Find out all about the world of the legendary Leica products, ‘Made in Germany’.
Experience the Leica legend and take a look behind the scenes at the precision and quality of Leica manufacturing processes.
The journey through the history of 100 years of Leica photography includes the following highlights:
- the Leica Galerie,
- numerous cultural highlights,
- product milestones from Leica’s very beginnings to the present day,
- a multitude of exhibitions of photography through the ages,
- masterpieces by world famous Leica photographers from a whole century of Leica photography, and
- “pictures that made history; complemented by works of contemporary photography that will write the next chapters.“

There will be food, drinks and a fantastic programme for children.
And there is no need to register if you wish to come.
Even after Leica’s Open Day you have the possibility to visit “World of Leica Camera” in the Leitz-Park Wetzlar.

Auction Lot 100. Edition 100 Years of Leica: Among the 100 extremely rare “treasures” from the Leitz and Leica world of products, Lot 100 is a current highlight in which the company in Wetzlar celebrates “100 Years of Leica Photography” – and which will capture your heart!

WestLicht and LEICA CAMERA AG

Present

“100 YEARS OF LEICA” WestLicht Auction in Wetzlar

A special auction of milestones and icons of camera and photography history.

May 23, 2014, 2pm (CEST)

Leica II Mod.D Luxus: This gold-plated Leica model D with brown waran reptile body-cover is the last Leica ‘Luxus’ ever produced, in absolutely original condition. With matching gold-plated 5cm Elmar f/3.5 lens no. 144963 and gold-plated cap. The camera was delivered as “Lykup Luxus” in 1932, October 27 to BAKI & FILS in Tirana, Albania.

WestLicht, the world’s leading auction house for vintage cameras, will be holding a unique auction in collaboration with Leica Camera AG.

Leica M2 Canada Prototypes: Two specimens of Leica M2 cameras (top plates engraved with “Wetzlar”), with the unusual markings PL-P 0001 and PL-P 0002. In fact, both shutter crates are internally engraved “937622”, which represents the second serial number ever of a Leica M2 camera produced in Canada.

Guests will be invited to bid on 100 rare treasures from “all epochs of technical progress” at Leica and 100 Leica photographs, including:
- an extremely rare telescope constructed by Carl Kellner in 1852,
- a Leica I Mod. A with Anastigmat lens (the first commercially produced model),
- the original Luxus Leica,
- a Leica 250 with an electric motor drive,
- the New York RIFLE camera,
- a prototype of the Leica M3,
- a black Leica MP and cameras formerly used by famous Magnum photographers (Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rene Burri, Abbas, Bruno Barbey, Elliott Erwitt), and
- 100 lots of photographs with Leica connections.
  - Amongst these are original prints from the legacy of Oskar Barnack and extremely rare vintage prints from the most famous Leica photographers.

Leitz Stereo Tandem TOWIN includes a very rare matching case. Invented in the 1940s by W. Berssenbrugge, an expert in colour and stereo photography, the Leica Tandem TOWIN was originally made for stereo exposures. However, E. Leitz Inc. advertised it in 1949 for simultaneous exposures in black and white and colour photography.

A ‘100 years of Leica’ auction catalogue published for the event offers over 450 pages of exciting and fascinating surprises, historical details and inside information regarding the development and history of the Leica brand.
- The catalogue will also be published as a special edition limited to only 100 copies.
- Various experts helped and gave their expertise and it was curated by Lars Netopil for the technical part and Hans-Michael Koetzle for the photographs.