The official term is Bundesautobahn (abbreviated BAB), which translates as ‘federal motorway’
Idea for the construction of the autobahn was first conceived in the mid-1920s during the days of the Weimar Republic.
The first public road of this kind was completed in 1932, which today that road is the Bundesautobahn 555.
This road was not yet called Autobahn and lacked a centre median like modern motorways, but instead was termed a Kraftfahrstraße (“motor vehicle road”) .
In the Third Reich, just days after the 1933 Nazi takeover, Adolf Hitler enthusiastically embraced an ambitious autobahn construction project.
By 1936, 130,000 workers were directly employed in construction, as well as an additional 270,000 in the supply chain for construction equipment, steel, concrete, signage, maintenance equipment, etc.
Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda turned the construction of the autobahns into a major media event that attracted international attention.
The autobahns formed the first limited-access, high-speed road network in the world, with the first section from Frankfurt am Main to Darmstadt opening in 1935. This straight section was used for high-speed record attempts by the Grand Prix racing teams of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union.
The world record of 432 kilometres per hour set by Rudolf Caracciola on this stretch just prior to the crash remains one of the highest speeds ever achieved on a public motorway.
Life on the fast speed: There is no speed limit on Autobahns in Germany until today.
