Translations:Die Geschichte der Kältegeräte/3/en

Luxurious cold

Consumers in Germany had to be patient. Because of their high initial cost, bulky dimensions and the slow progress of household electrification, refrigerators remained luxury items. The first Siemens refrigerator to appear was an absorber refrigerator with a capacity of 130 liters in 1931. In 1933, Bosch successfully entered the refrigerator market and thus the household appliance market with its drum-shaped refrigerator. Two different modes of operation eventually prevailed in refrigeration appliances. So-called compressor refrigerators were and still are in most households. They have a high degree of efficiency and are therefore suitable for use in the home. Absorber refrigerators, on the other hand, operate completely without noise or vibration and are used especially in mobile homes or hotel rooms. At that time, the refrigerant used was ammonia, which was toxic, corrosive and foul-smelling. In the search for effective and less dangerous alternatives, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were discovered and soon used en masse as refrigerants. In the 1950s, the refrigerator began to make its way into German households. The economic miracle ensured lavishly laid tables. The newly won prosperity was to be preserved, but also presented. Electric household appliances were just as much symbols of prosperity as well-stocked pantries. Advertising was no longer merely about the "fight against spoilage," as it had been in 1936. The expectation was raised of being able to entertain guests with a sumptuous meal at any time. To do this, it needed more space for more food. Constructors and designers turned their attention to the interior of the appliances. For the first time in the 1950s, the refrigerator door was designed as an additional storage space.