It is Germany we have to thank for both the word and the idea of "kindergarten"--literally a garden of children. In conjunction with political revolution came the realization that, to grow up well, children needed experiences other than strictly imitating - or doing - the work of adults.
For those experiences, they needed equipment. Lots of equipment. Toys! A tinsmith named Marklin experimented with using metal to make dollhouses. When they succeeded, he added tea sets and exciting mechanical toys derived from developments in industrial machinery, including trains. Marklin's new factory modelled its trains very precisely on those of the German State railway. By 1925, these trains were electrified - as were Marklin's customers.
Today Marklin trains reflect the fine workmanship of early German industry, recent technology, and the demands of a worldwide market. Still visible are the marks of traditional handcraft and the loving understanding of children that formed their origins.
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