The history of today’s C. Miesen GmbH & Co. KG began on June 1, 1870. Back then, 156 years ago, the wagon maker Christian Miesen founded a small wagon and wheelwright’s workshop in Bonn. As industrialization, railway construction, and social change shaped Germany, Miesen began building custom horse-drawn carriages, trailers, and flatbed wagons. In addition to classic vehicles, the first solutions for patient transport were developed, including wheeled stretchers and, later, horse-drawn ambulances.

Around the turn of the century, the company grew significantly. In 1901, the carriage factory moved to Bonn-Dottendorf—a globally renowned production site for many decades. That same year, Miesen delivered the first horse-drawn ambulance to the city of Bonn—playfully described as a vehicle with a “1-horsepower oat engine.”

Just four years later, the company was already producing motorized delivery vans, fire trucks, ambulances, and patient transport buses. Miesen increasingly established itself as a specialist manufacturer of ambulances. Even before 1910, patient transport vehicles were being exported as far as Chile. This marked the beginning of the international focus that continues to define the company to this day.

Time and again, Miesen was involved in important developments in the field of emergency medical services. One example: the mobile medical unit from 1926, which could be used as a mobile dental clinic or operating room. It was already equipped with water and electrical connections, sterilization facilities, a dental chair, instrument cabinets, heating, and medical lighting.

In the 1930s, the company played a key role in the development of standardized medical vehicles. It was during this period that one of the first standardized ambulances was also developed. The vehicles were built on various chassis and were considered technically groundbreaking. At the same time, exports to Europe and many other countries grew.

In some years, as many as 800 to 1,200 vehicles were built and delivered. A significant milestone was the construction of early emergency ambulances (NAW). As early as 1957, an NAW was developed in collaboration with medical professionals in Cologne that enabled life-saving emergency procedures to be performed directly inside the vehicle, making it very similar to today’s ambulances.

Miesen also developed solutions for special operational situations: large-capacity ambulances, rescue buses, neonatal emergency ambulances, infectious disease transport vehicles, heart attack response units, fire trucks, medical armored vehicles, mobile clinics, blood donation vehicles, veterinary clinics, funeral vehicles, and even medical stations on fireboats.

Miesen gained particular international recognition for its “Bonna” series. The high-roof, long-wheelbase ambulance set new standards starting in the 1960s. It was delivered around the globe: to China, South American and African countries, the Middle East, and other European nations. In the first half of 1983, exports accounted for 60 percent of production.

Despite its success story, the company came under financial pressure in the early 2000s. Competition, difficult market conditions, and liquidity problems led Christian Miesen GmbH to file for bankruptcy in March 2004. Following a restructuring, the new C. Miesen GmbH & Co. KG resumed operations on April 1, 2005, under the leadership of Jürgen Krupp. The company continued the tradition of the family business, modernized its structures, and once again secured orders both domestically and internationally. In 2012, a modern production facility with a total area of approximately 35,000 square meters was put into operation in Bonn. In 2018, Miesen received the largest single order in the company’s history: 800 ambulances for Iran left the Bonn plant. In 2019, Miesen also opened a production facility in Dürnau in the district of Göppingen and expanded its portfolio to include high-quality hearses.

Today, approximately 200 qualified and experienced employees work at the Bonn and Dürnau locations on the development and manufacture of modern specialty vehicles. Miesen also maintains an international presence to meet country-specific requirements and individual customer needs.

A current forward-looking project is the strategic partnership with RMRH – Trop’s Innovations System GmbH. Starting in 2025, Miesen will exclusively handle the marketing of the patented RMRH swap body system, which can be automatically assembled in less than five minutes and monitored by a single person. It enables the care of up to 16 patients on DIN stretchers or 12 intensive care patients and features an integrated power supply, oxygen system, and state-of-the-art medical infrastructure. It offers optimal working conditions through bright lighting, integrated connections, and protected work areas.

Thanks to its modular expandability, it can be flexibly deployed as a mobile intensive care unit, medical station, evacuation center, vaccination center, or even for preventive measures at large-scale events.

“At INTERSCHUTZ 2026, we will be presenting a broad portfolio of modern emergency vehicles and system solutions for emergency medical services, fire departments, and disaster response. Our focus is on innovative, practical concepts that ensure maximum efficiency, flexibility, and operational readiness, including ambulances, emergency response vehicles, command vehicles, and the RMRH system as a special highlight,” announces Kai Augsburg, Assistant to the Management Board.

Exhibition Topic Rescue Services Purchase Ticket