The first exhibition took place in 1954 as part of the “Baumusterschau” at Theresienhöhe in Munich and was then known as the spring show for construction machinery. 58 exhibitors presented their products on a total gross area of 20,000 m², attracting around 8,000 visitors. Two years later, the exhibition space had already doubled and the name “bauma”, which is still used today, was introduced. In the early days, the fair was a purely German exhibition. In 1958, the first exhibitors from abroad (number: 13) took part in bauma.