Museum display Wheel

The predecessor of the wheel is considered to be a wooden roller, which was used to move loads. One of the earliest examples of such a device is a find in Romania, which is dated to the last quarter of the 5th millennium BC.

The first mentions of the wheel are found in Ancient Mesopotamia at the end of the 4th millennium BC. Craftsmen of that time made wheels solid, made them from logs or sewn from several boards.

To prevent the wood from wearing out quickly, already in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. wheels began to be wrapped in leather, and by 2000 BC. eh. copper nails began to be driven into the rim with the point facing outward for better grip on the ground.

The evolution of the wheel is associated with the development of roads. An important event occurred in the 19th century — the first pneumatic tires appeared. Robert Thompson is considered the first inventor of the tire. Gradually, wheels with hollow tires replaced solid rubber ones. Another important stage was the appearance of metal-elastic wheels in 1865

At present, the wheel is an important component of any vehicle, be it a car, scooter or train. It sets the car in motion, provides its stability and maneuverability.

An important element of railway transport is a wheelset, which is a pair of wheels rigidly mounted on an axle and always rotating with it as a single unit.

The first semblance of a rail track is considered to be a diolk — a stone track along which even heavy ships could be dragged. One of the closest prototypes of the modern railway track were wooden rails that appeared in the mines of Germany and neighboring regions in the 16th century.

At that time, loaded mine cars were moved along wooden rails, the wheels of which were made using ridges (flanges), preventing the mine cars from frequently going off track. Over time, people began to use other materials to build such a track, and later wheels, such as cast iron or iron.

The history hall of the museum presents the evolution of the track and the railway wheel.