Talent of the Year 2020 - NOMINEE: Jan Ladwig

The project reconstructs parts of the history surrounding the research and development of the magnetic levitation train in Germany. The transport system, which was completely new at the time, was intended to close the speed gap between rail and air. For decades, the so-called "flight at zero altitude" was dreamed, researched and marketed. However, the lack of application routes, the further development of wheel-rail technology and numerous political debates meant that the magnetic levitation train in Germany was never used beyond the test phase - only in Shanghai does a train commute a short distance between the airport and the city. In Germany, on the other hand, research on the high-speed train came under increasing criticism and was finally, after more than forty years, completely discontinued. The "Transrapid" project stands like no other for the failure of German industrial research.