Take your pick: Car museums in Germany

When in Munich, the BMW Museum is indeed a must. Prepare to be surrounded by beautiful BMW vehicles, both old and new. / Courtesy of Rachel Sang-hee Han

By Rachel Sang-hee Han

STUTTGART, Germany― When it comes to car museums, there’s no place like Germany.

I’ve chosen the top three car museums in the country and came up with a categorized list, so you can choose the best one fitting your personal desires and goals. Or just go to all of them.

Style: The Porsche Museum

The stark white atmosphere of the Porsche Museum allows the cars to stand out more, something that compensates for the relatively smaller size of 5,600 square meters. / Courtesy of Porsche Museum

If you are looking for style, you’ll be very pleased with the Porsche Museum. The brand itself is famous for its chic and effortless designs and this translates to the museum as well. The architecture of the museum is, first of all, quite impressive. It was designed by the architects Delugan Meissl and first opened doors in 1976. It was upgraded, relocated and reopened in 2006. Not only does it stand out from the red-roofed houses in the backdrop of southern Germany, it brings out the essence of what Porsche design represents: sleek, chic and sophisticated.

The museum itself may not be the biggest at 5,600 square meters and it may not have room after room full of exhibitions, but the stark white atmosphere allows the cars to stand out more. The cars are, after all, the most important feature of the museum.

I personally prefer gallery-like museums: sophisticated lighting, a simple interior and minimalistic decorations that can further accentuate the actual displays, and the Porsche Museum does this very well.

Size: Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes Benz Museum is a walk into history. The contents of the museum span from the very start of the motor company to the present day. / Courtesy of Rachel Sang-hee Han

Although size doesn’t really matter when it comes to the content or quality of a museum, it can make a slight difference. Mercedes-Benz’s exhibition space is 16,500 square meters, while BMW is 5,000 square meters and the Porsche Museum 5,600. While Porsche and BMW manage to use their space quite effectively, Mercedes-Benz offers a display of various exhibitions in a bigger, airier space. It’s actually quite literally a “walk through history,” thanks to its lengthy halls that connect one exhibition to another, the additional space between the cars making it easier to admire the vehicles on every angle and the famous F1 cars “racing” on the slanted F1 track. There are over 1,500 exhibitions within the museum, so it will be pretty hard to get bored, even if you’re not a huge car fan.

History: Mercedes-Benz Museum

In 1886, German car engineer Karl Benz brought the world’s first gasoline powered automobile Patent-Motorwagen, and this was just the beginning of a very long, intriguing history of the car company Mercedes-Benz.

The great thing about the Mercedes-Benz Museum is that it not only offers the history of the car manufacturer, but the history outside of the factories as well. 125 years is a long time to keep track of everything, but the museum, or the Germans who run it, manage to document every single detail of important history without completely overwhelming the visitor.

The photos, maps, posters, magazines and newspapers not only touch on the events that happened under Mercedes-Benz’s roof, but also other historical records on society, world history, art, architecture, politics and the economy. It’s quite convenient and effective to learn about the overall effect and influence cars had to other aspects of society and vice versa. So not only does a visit seem like a tour inside one of the most prestigious car manufacturers in the world, but it also seems like you’ve just walked out from a necessary history lesson.

Travel-friendly: BMW

Unless you live in Germany, it’s most likely you will be visiting museums during your stay at the respective city. When it comes to traveling around the city after or before the museum, Munich may have a bit more to offer than Stuttgart.

First of all, the BMW Museum consists of the BMW Welt and the actual museum. The BMW Welt is a multifunctional exhibition area where they display their recent designs and also allow visitors to take a closer look into the cars than the museum.

Close to the museum is the Olympic Park, which is a popular space for families, picnics and biking, the aquarium Sea Life and the city center, which is actually quite close using the subway. There are numerous beer gardens scattered around the city where you can have the typical German beer session, complete with pretzels and weisswurst, which is a typical Bavarian white sausage. The Dachau concentration camp, which was the first one of its kind, is also a 20-minute subway ride from the city center. If you’re on a museum kick, pay a visit to the Deutsches Museum or the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne, some of the best art museums in the country.

Educational: All three

When it comes to educational value, all three museums have their merits. The history of cars in general is a very important part of not only Germany’s but also European history, and the level of educational value is obviously very high. While the three, and other, museums have their own charms, let it be design, history, display and size, they all work as an important cultural, economical and industrial part of the country.

Short history

BMW

When you’re done with the BMW museum, there’s plenty to do around the city, such as visiting downtown. / Courtesy of Rachel Sang-hee Han

Located in Munich, the BMW Museum was established in 1973 and was renovated for four years from 2004. It’s connected to the BMW Welt, which is more of a multifunctional exhibition space and display area, and spans over 5,000 square meters with more than 25 exhibition areas and 120 exhibits. Unlike Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, the history of BMW starts not with an individual but as an aircraft engine manufacturer. Motorcycles and its engines became an important part of the company’s business, and this led to manufacturing cars in 1952. Tickets to the museum are 10 euro.

Porsche

The exterior of the Porsche Museum stands out from the red-roofed houses in the backdrop of southern Germany, bringing out the essence of what Porsche design represents: sleek, chic and sophisticated. / Courtesy of Porsche Museum

The original Porsche Museum was opened in 1976 in Stuttgart, but was closed for renovation and reopened in 2009. Porsche was founded by automotive engineer and designer Ferdinand Porsche and the museum dates back to when Porsche first started to create, design and perfect his various techniques and skills back in the day. Thanks to the display and the stark white backdrop of the interior, it feels more like a stylish showroom or gallery than a museum, with plenty of information, history and details hidden here and there. Tickets to the museum are 8 euros.

Mercedes-Benz Museum

The space at the Mercedes Benz Museum makes it easier to admire the vehicles from every angle and the famous F1 cars “racing” on the slanted F1 track. / Courtesy of Daimler AG

Located in Stuttgart, the Mercedes-Benz Museum was designed and opened in 2006. It documents 125 years of the auto industry, along with other important historic, economic, cultural events that happened during that time. It has a display of more than 160 vehicles and over 1,500 exhibits, and also holds various events throughout the year, including the open-air cinema and concerts. Tickets to the museum are 8 euro.

Rachel Sang-hee Han is a former staff reporter at The Korea Times and former editor at CNN Travel. She lives in Germany and runs a travel blog at rachelsanghee.com