STABILA Charity 2023 –
A very special bench for Annweiler am Trifels

Mit der „STABILA Bank“ spendet STABILA eine besondere Sitzgelegenheit in Form eines aufgeklappten Maßstabs an die Stadt Annweiler am Trifels.

STABILA has donated a very special bench to the town of Annweiler am Trifels, in the shape of an unfolded rule.

In 2023, STABILA's charity campaign celebrates its fifth anniversary. To mark this milestone, STABILA is lending its support to a very special town: Annweiler am Trifels. As well as being the second oldest town in the Palatinate region and famous for the medieval Trifels Castle, it is also the home of STABILA. In recent years, the town has been busy creating an accessible park, the Markwardanlage, with a small lake, play area and mini golf. As a local company, STABILA got involved in designing the park and decided to donate a very special STABILA bench.

The story of the STABILA bench began at the end of 2022, when the company's social media team invited Alexander Kempe from TUCK Creative to come and meet them at STABILA's headquarters. Kempe is a self-employed carpenter who has been doing varied and creative work with wood for many years.

During a brainstorming session to find a suitable construction project for the town of Annweiler am Trifels, both STABILA and the designer and craftsman quickly realised that they weren't interested in making an 'ordinary' bench. So they came up with the idea of constructing a bench in the shape of an unfolded rule.

„It was a brilliant idea and a fascinating challenge. Everything was custom designed and constructed. It's a beautiful project that I was delighted to support.“

– Alexander Kempe

This is the tool that best represents the origins of STABILA. In 1886 – before the company was founded in 1889 – Anton Ullrich and his brother Franz secured a patent for a spring-loaded joint for folding rules. It was an important milestone in the company's history and the birth of the rule that we all know today.

Kempe spent the first six months of 2023 building the bench at his workshop in Jockgrim, where it became extremely popular even in its unfinished form. Meanwhile, work was under way in the Markwardanlage, preparing the site and casting the foundation for the bench. The bench was completed at the beginning of July, and on 14 July it was presented to the town of Annweiler am Trifels in a small ceremony.

Mayor Benjamin Seyfried accepted the bench from STABILA CEO Ulrich Dähne on behalf of all visitors to the park. "Everyone – from the social media team and craftsman Alexander Kempe to the team at the builder's yard – worked hand in hand to create a work of art that reflects STABILA's close relationship with our town. STABILA is as much a part of Annweiler as the famous Trifels Castle itself. Thank you."

Mit einer Länge von über 7 Metern und aus heimischem Eichenholz gefertigt, konnten für das anschließende Foto alle Beteiligten bequem einen Sitzplatz auf der Bank finden.

At over 7 metres long and made from native oak, there was plenty of room for everyone to find a comfortable seat on the bench for the photo. If you'd like to take some time out to relax on this very special bench, you'll find it in the Markwardanlage in Annweiler am Trifels between the caravan site and the play area.