Germany’s automotive industry is second to none in Europe in terms of excellence of engineering, innovation and competence. It is estimated that one out of every five cars on the road around the world is a celebrated German brand. So it comes as no surprise that the country boasts a series of mind-boggling automobile museums. Belt up as we take you around the snazziest, the glitziest and the most awesome auto museums around the country.
At the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, you get to feast your eyes on more than 160 vehicles belonging to the brand that needs no introduction. Expect to see old beauties that tell the story of the brand’s glorious history, snazzy contemporary models and eye-popping futuristic vehicles. The museum earns major brownie points with children and adolescents thanks to the superbly-designed, interactive tours and activities designed especially for them.
Stuttgart boasts not just one, but two globally-famous automotive museums, making it a mecca for auto enthusiasts. Head to the lavish Porsche Museum in town to ogle at dreams on wheels belonging to the iconic brand. Information about the brand and vehicles at this museum is presented in an interactive way, often through multimedia installations, making it an engaging learning process for both adults and children.
At BMW Welt & Museum, Munich, get ready to be swept off your feet by the range of classic as well as modern cars housed in a building ensemble that can safely be described as an architectural wonder. While a visit to the BMW Welt is free, serious car geeks would find it worth their money to visit the museum too, which promises tours, tons of information and a bigger range of vehicles. The museum even offers you the chance to snap up your next car fresh off the assembly line or rent a vehicle on an hourly basis for a spin.
Autostadt, Wolfsburg is no less than a temple for car lovers. The steel-and-glass cylindrical twin Car Towers has earned a place for itself in the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Fastest Automatic Parking System. Here, up to 400 newly-produced vehicles belonging to the Volkswagen group are temporarily stored before being delivered to their lucky owners. In the multi-brand Zeithaus Auto Museum, visitors are walked through 125 years of the German automotive industry, the setting enhanced with admirable artwork, exciting vehicles and multimedia installations.
The largest private museum in Europe, Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim is much more than just another lavish car museum. It has an unbeatable collection of vintage cars, motorcycles, locomotives, steam engines, trucks, Formula 1 vehicles, tractors, jet fighters and military equipment. The most exciting section of this museum is easily the series of walk-in aircrafts, especially the original Concorde and Tupolev-144. Visitors also love the massive 3D movie hall in the museum.
The Volkswagen factory in Dresden is a magnet for car lovers from all over the world and takes visitors on an exciting journey through the history, present and future of Volkswagen vehicles. It was originally constructed as a centre for assembly of the brand’s luxury sedan, the Phaeton. Today, it is a museum where visitors get to admire Volkswagen car models, enjoy a multimedia theatre, take part in various interactive exhibits, learn about the production process, take a virtual tour through Dresden and even test drive their dream vehicles. The star of the museum is, however, is the high-tech four-door Sport Coupé Concept GTE.
Technik Museum, Speyer, is yet another wonderful museum that pulls out all stops to delight its visitors. From submarines to aircrafts, fire engines, helicopters, cars and motorbikes to military jets and model vehicles, there is something exciting to discover at every corner. Information about a vast range of vehicles is presented through engaging, multimedia exhibits.
It is the only museum in the world where you get to see automobiles belonging to the Maybach brand. Car geeks will love this opportunity to learn all about Maybach vehicles, motors and gearboxes and see several of the 160 Maybach cars that exist in the world today.
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Deutsches Museum, Munich, is not just a fascinating place for car lovers to explore, but appeals to anyone interested in science and technology. It is only here that you get to see first motorised aircraft built by the Wright brothers, the U1 submarine, the first motorcar by Benz, Diesel’s original engine and many other vehicles, tools and machinery.
Classic Remise is an immensely popular museum-workshop located in Berlin and Düsseldorf. Private owners of vintage as well as swanky modern cars proudly show off their prized possessions in a climate-controlled setting. Visitors get to enjoy a wide range of cars across all known brands, purchase vehicles, tour the workshop where vehicles are serviced, get expert advice on anything related to automobiles and buy spare parts, accessories or souvenirs from the museum shop.
This list would be incomplete without a mention of the museum owned by automotive giant Audi. In this museum, you get to learn the history and success story of Audi and motor-racing through hands-on, interactive exhibits and over 100 impeccably-maintained cars and motorbikes. The most fascinating part of a tour is the Paternoster, which keeps the exhibits constantly moving through all floors of the museum.
