26/07/01 - From Classroom to Cobblestones: Students discover Dresden’s buildings by bike.

Why is a roller bearing actually called a roller bearing—and why is it needed in the first place? Questions like these are best answered where engineers have put their solutions into practice: right at the buildings themselves. That is why, during the first bicycle excursion organized by the disciplines of Mechanics and Structural Engineering, around 20 students swapped the lecture hall for their bikes. Together with Prof. Birgit Beckmann (Institute of Concrete Structures) and Prof. Stefan Löhnert (Institute of Mechanics and Shell Structures), they explored selected sites across Dresden.

The starting point for the approximately two-hour excursion on July 1, 2026, was the Beyer Building. The route, covering about ten kilometers, led through the districts Plauen and Südvorstadt, past the Central Station and the Freiberger Platz swimming complex to the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion, and continued to the Alberthafen and the Flügelweg Bridge.

At the various stops, the two professors explained mechanical principles and structural features using the actual buildings as examples. The focus was on modeling concepts and the reasoning behind why load-bearing structures and individual components were designed the way we see them today. This allowed students to directly link theoretical course material with real-world examples and experience mechanics where it becomes visible.

This successful debut is not intended to be a one-off event; another bicycle excursion is already planned for the start of the upcoming winter semester.