Through the lens of Kurt Keil - suspension railway

Second exhibition on the work of Wuppertal photographer Kurt Keil in the university library

Kurt Keil is a name that makes many Wuppertal residents sit up and take notice, as his photos characterised the pages of the Westdeutsche Zeitung for decades. After his death, his entire estate was transferred to the Bergische Universität archive. Photographic historian Dr Carmen Pérez González has since dedicated herself to this collection of images, which is now in many files and boxes, and has now curated the photographer's second exhibition with the head archivist Dr Friederike Jesse and a team of students. The theme this time is the suspension railway.

The entire exhibition was realised by a student project under Pérez González's supervision. Alongside Barbara Brandau, Jan Emmerich, Berfin Özdemir, Jako Plaß, Christos Roudoniklis and Thea Schneider, it is Pia Stoffels in particular who has taken on the role of main curator. "She has been involved since the start of the 2023 winter semester and has attended all of my Kurt Keil Collection events," says the organiser, "she has always had a special interest in the suspension railway and has therefore also done her own research. In her bachelor's thesis, which she successfully completed last year, she focussed on the 1999 suspension railway accident."

The suspension railway and the city

The exhibition opens in the university library on 13 January. But what does the suspension railway tell photographically? Pia Stoffels explains: "There are actually various stories that can be told with the photos of the suspension railway, because they show the city itself, but also events and changes in the city. Above all, they show people who live in this city." The suspension railway not only connects three parts of the city, Stoffels explains, but Kurt Keil's pictures also show the changes in the cityscape. "When Kurt Keil started taking photographs at the end of the 1960s, the city looked very different from 2020, the year he died." The exhibition combines exhibits that Kurt Keil showed in his own exhibition in 1992 with other archive material from his collection. Photographs taken with a digital camera, which were previously unpublished, also extend the view of the city's history into the 2000s, so to speak.
"This is already the second exhibition that we are preparing with the same team," says Pérez González. "The nice thing is that everyone involved knows how to proceed, everyone has their own role. There will also be a few surprises with pictures that have never been shown before. It will be an interactive exhibition and visitors will also be able to participate a little," she promises.

Suspension railway and stops change

At the beginning of the 1970s, Wuppertal's most famous figurehead changed, and Kurt Keil was there. "When he started, the 1972 series of the suspension railway was just being introduced, and he documented this process with his photos," explains Stoffels. "That's part of the exhibition. At the same time, the suspension railway stations have also changed. Some of them were destroyed during the war or replaced, which is why there are also photos of the stations being rebuilt or reopened." There was also a lot of construction activity around it, adds the student, and the construction of the Sonnborn interchange was certainly one of the most relevant, as Sonnborn was separated by the motorway at the time and the suspension railway was even relocated. "Kurt Keil also took many photos of the phases of this construction, and these changes can be seen very clearly in the pictures."

Pictures from the suspension railway accident in 1970

His photos of the rescue at height on the Elberfelder Aue are also spectacular. On the approach to the Robert-Daum-Platz station, the train derailed while travelling through a construction site on 8 December 1970. Kurt Keil was even able to take pictures from inside the derailed suspension railway because the fire brigade let him climb inside using turntable ladders. "These photos were taken from an unusual angle. From this we can conclude that Kurt Keil took the pictures from the fire brigade's ladder truck. We have heard from many contemporary witnesses that he was obviously a very pleasant person and therefore often managed to get permission to take photos, which other photographers were denied. He was therefore very close to the rescue operation and was able to take these pictures," says Stoffels.

Pictures of the most serious suspension railway accident in 1999

The most momentous suspension railway accident took place in 1999. The exhibition organisers have also included these pictures. "We decided to show a small selection because it is part of the history of the suspension railway," says Stoffels, explaining the decision. "But we also thought about how best to present it and came to the conclusion that we wanted to organise it in such a way that you can walk past it if you don't want to see it. As a press photographer, Kurt Keil did not document people on site, i.e. no injured people, but photographed the suspension railway itself." Later, however, Keil also focussed on what happened to the people, and he also took photos of that. "He attended the memorial service and took photos there, he was at the court case a year later and also took photos there. The scope of these photos of the suspension railway accident alone is enormous, we are only showing a small selection."

Opening on 13 January at 5 p.m. in the university library

Preparations for the exhibition are in full swing and Pérez González is already looking forward to another exhibition location. "Stephan Andrés Heuschen, former editor of the Westdeutsche Zeitung, has been involved in this project since day one and has once again helped us a lot with identifying some of the people and providing important information," explains the photo historian. "He asked me whether we would be interested in a travelling exhibition in the city, at the Centre for Good Deeds, the volunteer agency in Wuppertal Barmen. And that will happen in April/May. We are very happy about this because the work of our students will then also be recognised beyond the university."

The organisers promise that visitors will gain a new perspective on the history of the suspension railway and thus, of course, on Wuppertal and are looking forward to welcoming many visitors. Admission is free.

Uwe Blass

Exhibition

Through the lens of Kurt Keil - Revisiting the suspension railway

Vernissage: 13.01.2026 at 17.00 hrs

University Library, Foyer BZ.07, Gaußstraße 20, 42119 Wuppertal
Opening hours:
13.01. - 05.02.26
Mon-Fri 08.00 - 22.00
Sat-Sun 10.00 - 19.00

Dr Carmen Pérez González is an astrophysicist, photo historian and research assistant in the Department of History at the School of Humanities and Cultural Studies at the University of Wuppertal. She is the project manager of "Memory Training with the Kurt Keil Collection" (funded by the Dr Werner Jackstädt Foundation) and the founder of the "Golden Memories" project.

The exhibition was curated by Pia Stoffels, supported by Barbara Brandau, Jan Emmerich, Berfin Özdemir, Jako Plaß, Christos Roudoniklis and Thea Schneider.