Geschichte der Expo | EN – Expo 2025 Osaka

History of the Expo

The nature of World Exhibitions has undergone a transformation over the centuries:
Initially, Expos were conceived as showcases for industry and performance, intended to serve as platforms for the achievements of industrialization, where countries presented their technological marvels. Architecturally spectacular buildings also played a major role: notably, the Crystal Palace in London, where the very first World Expo took place in 1851, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, built for the occasion of the 1889 Expo.

After the World War II, the mission of World Exhibitions had turned to bringing nations closer together again.

Today, Expos focus on a global theme to raise awareness about its related challenges and showcase solutions offered by science, business and culture.

For more about the history of World Exhibitions, please visit the website of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

The history of World Expositions dates back to the year 1851. Back then, the first World Expo was called the “Great Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations” and took place in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in the heart of central London. This came through the efforts of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s Prince Consort from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

In 1876, the first World Expo in the USA was held in Philadelphia. It was the first Expo where individual nations erected their own buildings – this also included the German Reich.

In 1880, 33 countries, including the USA, Great Britain and Germany, participated in the first World Expo in Melbourne, Australia. The exhibition palace was left standing even after that World Expo, and in 1901, the first Australian Parliament was constituted there. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The 1889 World Expo was held in Paris and surpassed all previous Expos with over 32 million visitors and a profit of 8 million francs. France took this occasion to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. At over 300 meters in height, the Eiffel Tower, constructed especially for this Expo, was considered a masterpiece of contemporary engineering. Originally, the plan was to tear it down.

On 30 April 1703, the United States purchased Louisiana from France. This 200-year anniversary was the occasion for the Expo 1904 in St. Louis. Spanning 5 km², the grounds were the largest to date. 1,500 buildings where erected there, 60 nations were hosted.

At the World Expo 1929 in Barcelona, the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created a German Pavilion, characterised by such serenity of lines and simple forms that the architectural world still considers it ground-breaking to this day. Mies van der Rohe also designed the furniture for this pavilion, including an armchair that became world-renowned as the Barcelona Chair. Although the pavilion was dismantled after the World Expo, the city of Barcelona deemed it to be so significant for architectural history that the city undertook its reconstruction between 1983 and 1986 at the original site and according to the original plans.

Unlike any other World Expo, the political situation of that era manifested itself in the placement of the German Reich’s pavilion vis-à-vis that of the Soviet Union at the Paris World Expo in 1937: The two buildings stood imposingly opposite each other in monumental contrast. The German Pavilion was designed by the Berlin architect Albert Speer.

Since the 1958 Expo in Brussels, thirteen years after the end of the war, World Exhibitions have no longer been solely dedicated to technological progress. From then onward, the intent was to deal with the universal problems beleaguering humanity.

For the 1967 Expo in Montreal, it was once again a German architect who came up with a compelling design and who is in fact still famous to this day, particularly for the roof over the Olympic stadium in Munich that he designed: Frei Otto, working together with Rolf Gutbrod. This German Pavilion similarly went down in architectural history and was awarded the eponymous Auguste Perret Prize.

The 1970 Expo in Osaka was the first ever held in Asia. Its theme was “Progress and Harmony for Mankind”. With the visitor count approaching nearly 65 million, no other Expo had registered so many people.

The first World Expo to take place in Germany was held in 2000 in Hannover, themed “Humankind – Nature – Technology – A new world arising”. The organiser’s declared objective was to create a new style of World Expos – promoting visions for the future and models for balancing humankind, nature and technology whilst exploring opportunities that would allow more than six billion people worldwide to live in harmony.

Themed “Nature’s Wisdom”, the 2005 Expo held in the Aichi Prefecture attracted over 22 million visitors, exceeding by far the 15 million initially expected. After the Expo, the major portion of the Nagakute grounds were transformed into a sprawling park known as Moricoro Park, named after the Expo mascots Morizo and Kikkoro.

China’s first World Expo, billed under the theme “Better City, Better Life” was held in Shanghai in 2010. With its 23 million inhabitants, Shanghai was a well-suited venue for the challenges of urbanization to be dealt with. Hosting 73 million visitors and 246 participants, it was an Expo of superlatives.

Guided by the leitmotif “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, the nations of the world came together in 2015 in Milan. This Expo addressed one of the greatest challenges of our modern times by encouraging dialogue on the questions of food production, healthy nutrition, population growth, waste prevention and the efficient use of natural resources. It welcomed over 21 million visitors.

As the first World Expo taking place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, the Expo 2020 Dubai visitors welcomed visitors from all over the world to participate in the creation of a new world. Over a period of 182 days, the Expo 2020 Dubai gave the over 200 participants gathered there visually striking and emotionally inspiring impressions at the largest and most diverse World Expo of all time. The prevailing Covid pandemic had consequences for this Expo as well: The date was postponed for a year and the event took place in compliance with strict hygiene measures. With its theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and its three subthemes – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, Expo 2020 Dubai aimed to serve as the most effective global incubator for new ideas worldwide.

organised by

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan

2023 FEDERAL MINISTRY FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND CLIMATE ACTION