Good news for all those who want to be environmentally friendly on the road: The student bicycle workshop "Wunderrad" on the TU Ilmenau campus is open again - and it was very busy again right from the start.
Immediately after the official kick-off on 9 April, numerous students took the opportunity to repair their bicycles and make them fit for everyday use with the support of the "Wunderrad" team.
Fabian de Planque from the bicycle workshop's organizational team is delighted with the successful restart, which, according to him, was only possible thanks to funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the Ilm district and the Studierendenwerk Thüringen, great solidarity from internal and external university partners, above all the associations on campus, local companies and the bicycle workshops in Arnstadt and Erfurt, and many individual helping hands:
Many students are dependent on bicycles. As a result, we almost always have a 'full house' here, and many people could hardly wait for us to reopen our doors after a year and a half break.
When the old building was taken down in February 2025 as part of the renovation of Building B , Studierendenwerk Thüringen provided the workshop with an old bicycle shed while the university provided temporary storage space. Then the real work began, says Fabian:
We spent more than a year clearing out, tinkering and working in the new building.
The result: the new “Wunderrad” workshop, located within sight of the cafeteria terrace, is not only seven square meters larger than the old one, but – thanks to two street artists from Ilmenau and Hamburg who are friends – it’s also a real eye-catcher.
Founded in 2009 as an initiative of the Student Council, the workshop joined forces with the Ilmenau regional chapter of Engineers Without Borders e.V. in 2015 – and has been opening its doors every Thursday afternoon ever since – now under the new name “Wunderrad” with its own logo. It sees itself as a low-threshold resource. Whether it’s a flat tire, squeaky brakes, or missing parts: with on-site support, minor repairs can be carried out on your own or tackled together. The team doesn’t shy away from even more complicated and time-consuming repairs – the workshop is well-equipped and its toolset is constantly being expanded to meet needs.
This not only strengthens self-help, but also sustainable mobility on campus – and makes it easier to leave the car at home and switch to bicycles. A visit is also worthwhile if you want to get your own bike ready for use again after the winter break.
The new opening hours of the bike workshop are the same as before: every Thursday from 5 to 8 pm.
An insight into the bicycle workshop and its reopening can also be found in the Radio hsf report.