Hansgrohe Axor Urquiola shower set
How an invention freed people’s hands when 
showering 
It revolutionised the 
bathroom: The shower rail or Unica has been around for 60 years now – and it was 
invented by Hans Grohe, the founder of the shower specialist Hansgrohe SE in 
Germany’s Black Forest. 
Frequently it is the seemingly simple ideas that 
change the world because they make life simpler, more convenient and better. The 
shower bar is such an innovation with a sustainable impact. In 2013 it became 60 
years old. Today it is taken for granted in bathrooms across the globe: the 
shower bar. 
It was discovered by Hans 
Grohe, the pioneer of Germany’s sanitation industry, in Schiltach 60 years ago. 
It came on the market in 1953, under the brand name Unica: A milestone in the 
history of Hansgrohe as this innovation made the company the shower specialist 
at the time and has characterised its approach to innovation to this day. 
In addition, however, the invention of 
the shower bar was a significant watershed in the development of the bathroom. 
This is because first of all, it changed users’ behaviour by enabling 
“hands-free” showering – with a height-adjustable hand shower. Secondly, this 
brought about the emancipation of the shower from the bathtub. This heralded the 
advent of separate showering areas in the bathroom, changing its architecture in 
the process. A genuine bathroom revolution! 
Hans Grohe
Hansgrohe’s Unica was the world’s first shower sliding rail in 1953
For more information go to http://www.hansgrohe.com.au
 



 
