Pictures of my visit to the V-Zug museum in Switzerland

[foraloysius]

At the end of my trip to Switzerland I paid a visit to the V-Zug museum in Switzerland. It's part of the Zugorama, a center where all the Zug appliances can be demonstrated. A room in the basement is dedicated to the history of the "Verzinkerei Zug". Here's one picture, the rest is in my photo album.

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[mielabor]

Fantastic machines. I like the analog thermometers (up to 120 C!) and the sturdy controls. Were those machines intended for professional or for domestic use? What a pity that this brand is not known outside Switzerland.

 

[gyrafoam]

Very kool Louis! Thanks for sharing the photos! The "Unimatic" certainly looks "solid"!

 

[toggleswitch]

Amazing. Thank you so very much for posting.

Love the "Unimatic" Logo. Perhaps someone's personal "wallpaper" in the future?

 

[tomturbomatic]

Louis, Thank you for taking the time to go to the museum and take pictures to share with us. In picture 19, the inside of the dishwasher, was there any explanation of what that is at the bottom of the sump? I would have thought it would have a wash arm with the filter down there at the bottom, but what do I know?

In pictures 8-11, it's funny how that machine has the same single, centered lid hinge as the first Blackstone washer.

In picture 6, that sure is a beautiful stainless steel tub. Would the heating element be under the agitator and therefore the reason for the holes in the agitator skirt?

Pictures 27 & 28: Is that the new model? Maybe it's the blue color, but it almost looks industrial or commercial.

Thanks again and best wishes for the new year.
Tom

 

[lederstiefel1]

Hey, Luis this is absolutely fab!!
Didn't know that they have a museum... Could have asked Mrs. Zug personally last time when we were in Switzerland staying with friends in Zürich, as she was on a party of our friend who became 60!
Where is the museum situated?
Amazing to see the sturdy swiss quality - really a pitty that they aren't available even in Germany....
We would love to visit the museum next time when visiting the Schweiz again!

Ralf

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hi Louis, those are great pictures! Love the "Unimatic Favorite Logo". Wallpaper, heck how about a Tatoo LOL.

 

[bellalaundry]

Love the Blue Washer!

Thanks for posting!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Frau Zug. OY. The poor soul. I never thought about it being a family name. She cries all the way to the bank.

If you moved from Switzerland to another country would they make you leave your Zugs behind? What if you took a van or trailer and bought one and took it across a national border? Is there a ZUG Act like the Mann Act?

 

[foraloysius]

Thanks y'all

And now for the questions:

Theo,

The Unimatic is indeed the commercial series from Zug. It is mainly meant for communal laundryrooms in apartment buildings. The Unimatic name is still in use. The Adora is the name for the household washers and dryers. Later Zug also used the Adorina name, nowadays that name is used for rebadged Bauknecht appliances. In the past Zug put the Adorina name on AEG appliances. I don't know why they changed from AEG to Bauknecht.

Tom,

I was wondering if the Swiss went over to the USA to look at American washers. The name Unimatic made me think that, but also the similarity to some machines.

The machine in picture 6 probably has the heating element under the agitator, but I'm not sure. I wasn't able to have such a close look at it. But most wringer washers with heater had it there, including my own Velo.

The blue Adora is a household machine from I guess the 80's or 90's. The quality is indeed commercial, but Zug appliances sure come with a price.

I also visited the V-Zug shop in Chur. I asked them if I could export a machine to the Netherlands and it was no problem. But they made clear Zug wouldn't service a machine that far away.

Ralf,

Did she really carry the name Zug?

The museum is a small basement room in the "Zugorama", where all the new Zug appliances are lined up for demonstration. I added the link to the address of the Zugorama.

Robert,

The Unimatic Favorite Logo is absolutely gorgeous, but I'm not a tattoo man...

http://www.vzug.ch/v-zug/internet.nsf/PageID/ausstellungsraeume_zugorama

 

[jetcone]

Drool drool drool

Wow I had no idea they were your favorite machine Louis, a top load horizontal axis! I bet you were in heaven in that museum!

jon & al

 

[alanlendaro]

wasnt there a GE Adora FL

Short lived? I heard about it but never saw one

 

[lederstiefel1]

Hi Luis, yes her name is Zug (spoken: tsook), well it is not an unusual name in Switzerland or even (South)Germany, is it? There's a town in Switzerland with this name as well and so I guess the name comes from there several hundred years ago when the german speaking part of Switzerland still was Germany... In Germany you also find the spelling: Zugck. MIELE is a family name, too - Carl Miele (spoken: karl meela) was the founder of the company over hundred years ago!

Answer to the question if you have to leave the machine behind, when leaving Switzerland:
When you move from Switzerland you can take everything of your own with you - why shouldn't you? Switzerland is a free western country (a bit cleaner and tidier and cooler than Germany meanwhile has become, though...) but not a member of the EU (yet)! We are not talking here about the former German Democratic Republic (DDR) or other East European Dictatorships from the time before 1989, do we?

Ralf

 

[jamiel]

I think they were making a joke (colloquial and idiomatic American english would say they were pulling our/your leg (older, but still current saying), yanking our/your chain (since the '80s)

 

[lederstiefel1]

The expression 'pulling someone's leg' is something I know, 'yanking someone's chain' I've never heard of yet! Smile!

We say colloquially in German: to pull someone through the cocoa (jemanden durch den Kakao/Cacao ziehen) or to be-apple someone (jemanden veräppeln) or, more modern, to be-ass somebody (jemanden verarschen)!

Cheers, Ralf

 

[spankomatic]

Nice photo's Louis! I too like the heat gauge. I wonder if Robert's Super Unimatic has one of those ????

Jim

 

[chestermikeuk]

Zug

Hi Louis, looks like a grand time was had, did you get to work any of the machines yourself?? they look so industrial and sturdy, I thought the first pic was a centrifuge before closer inspection,they do like the solid metal and dials look though.

Thanks for the pics, Mike

p.s really missing you and Eddy here, that basements big on your own!!

 

[foraloysius]

Jim,

I don't think the Superunimatic has one yet. Perhaps that would be something for the opening where the timer used to be.

Mike,

I bet that basement is big on your own. Just enjoy it.

I was there only for a short time, the lunch break was due. And the Swiss do care about their lunchbreaks, even the cableways are out of use during lunch breaks.

Enjoy the Omaha meeting!

 

[lavamat_jon]

Louis, great pictures! It's interesting to see how the V-Zug machines have developed, and they haven't really changed that much since that blue electronic machine 20 years or so ago have they?

Jon