Autostadt, VW's automotive exhibition complex, is the largest, most remarkable automotive visitor centre in the world. Right next to the Volkswagen factory, it offers visitors the opportunity to explore the theme of mobility through a huge range of displays and attractions. The 250,000m˛ site with its seven pavilions is an attraction in itself and various Volkswagen Group brands, including VW, Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley, are represented. In the ZeitHaus visitors can discover the history of the automobile and admire lovingly restored classic cars. The WerkStadt has a wealth of interactive exhibits about automotive technology. The all-terrain driving course is like an adventure playground for grown-ups. Various guided tours available.
» www.autostadt.de
Mercedes-Benz World was opened to coincide with the World Cup in 2006. Located just outside the Daimler-Chrysler factory in Stuttgart, it brings over 110 years of innovative automotive history to life. With 9 floors and total of 16,500m˛ exhibition space, the museum is a showcase for the pioneering days of the automobile. Exhibits include the world's first cars produced by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, the first Mercedes (naturally) and 160 other illustrations of the legendary Mercedes brand. Among the highlights are the "Silver Arrow", which made motor racing history, and Mercedes-Benz's commercial vehicles. Audio guide tours and guided tours available. Closed on Mondays.
» www.mercedes-benz.com
The DB Museum, which opened in 1899 as the Royal Bavarian Railway Museum, is the oldest of its kind in Germany. Its amazing collection of historical railway vehicles - ranging from the "Adler" (Eagle), the first German steam locomotive, to the ICE (InterCityExpress) - is on display in the main building and in the vehicle hall inside the grounds. With 160 vehicles, as well as many related exhibits, this collection is the largest of its kind in Germany. The entire history of the German railways is covered, as are all the different types of traction and vehicle ever used on Germany's rails. Young visitors in particular can have fun exploring railway history in the museum's interactive discovery centre (1,000m˛). Guided tours in several languages. Closed on Mondays.
» www.db.de
The BMW Museum is right next to the BMW Tower. On show here is everything BMW has ever produced, from the pre-war Dixi car and the Isetta bubble car to racing cars. There are also engines, turbines, aircraft, motorcycles and vehicles of every conceivable kind. Paris-Dakar rally veterans sit proudly beside historical, pre-war racing motorcycles, touring cars next to Formula 1 machines, and special editions, such as the BMW Art Cars created by famous artists of the last 40 years, rub shoulders with vehicles from Hollywood films. These and over 400 other vehicles and models offer fascinating insights into the manufacturing history and tradition of BMW right up to the present day. Guided tours on request.
» www.bmw.com
The August Horch Museum in Zwickau is the only museum of vehicle technology on an actual former car manufacturing site. It is right at the heart of the old Audi plant, the cradle of a great automotive tradition whose development can be traced from Horch through Audi to the Trabant. This fascinating museum (approx. 3,000m˛) offers the perfect opportunity to discover the many-faceted history of car manufacturing in Zwickau. Car buffs and lovers of all things technical will be captivated by the 70 or so large-scale exhibits. Highlights include the 1911 Horch Phaeton, the DKW F1, a then-sensational small car featuring the first serial-production front-wheel drive, and much more. Guided tours on request. Closed on Mondays and 24 Dec, 25 Dec and 31 Dec.
» www.horch-museum.de
The collection of motorcycles at Augustusburg Palace is one of the most comprehensive and significant in Europe. Around 170 exhibits in 18 rooms (approx. 800m˛) offer a fascinating insight into more than 100 years of motorcycle history. The collection ranges from quaint vehicles of the late 19th century to modern street machines of the 1980s. A further 300 vehicles are kept in the museum depot. Almost all the important vehicles of special interest here are originals, including many exhibits that are unique. Guided tours on request.
» www.die-sehenswerten-drei.de
The world's largest collection relating to the history and technology of aviation (from its beginnings to the Zeppelin NT) is on display in around 4,000m˛ of exhibition space at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. Here visitors can experience the vast scale and sheer charisma of these "giants of the skies". The main attraction is a walk-through reconstruction of a 33 metre section of the LZ 129 "Hindenburg" zeppelin. The exhibition has a number of themes: forerunners, construction types, physical principles, take-off and landing, airship design and construction, engines, gondolas and aerodynamics, navigation and radio technology and the civilian and military history of airships. Guided tours available. Audio guide in several languages. Closed on Mondays except in July, August and September. Closed on 24 Dec, 25 Dec and 31 Dec.
» www.zeppelin-museum.de
The Car & Technology Museum in Sinsheim is a world of discovery for all ages. There are 10 exhibition halls (30,000m˛ of exhibition space) with over 3,000 exhibits to admire: 40 racing cars and sports cars, over 300 classic cars, 200 motorcycles, 20 locomotives, 60 aircraft, engines, American 'dream cars', agricultural machinery and commercial vehicles, a military history section and Europe's largest permanent Formula 1 exhibition, not to mention the biggest dance organ in the world. The absolute highlight is the original supersonic Air France Concorde F-BVFB which offers on-board visitor access. Guided tours in several languages.
» www.museum-sinsheim.de
These museums in the historical Castle of the Teutonic Order in Neckarsulm have been presenting the history of bicycles, motorcycles and NSU vehicles since 1956. Some 350 exhibits are currently on show in approx. 2,000m˛ of exhibition space, with no fewer than 300 classic motorcycles and a section devoted to racing. Around 50 bicycles spanning the last 200 years can be seen in the bicycle history section. The exhibits at the NSU Museum, the world's largest exhibition of the products of NSU Motorenwerke AG, include the first penny-farthing "Germania" (1886), motorcycle designs of 1901-1939 and a car section. Disabled access. Guided tours on request. Closed on Mondays and 24 Dec and 31 Dec.
» www.zweirad-museum.de
The story of Porsche is almost as old as automotive history itself, beginning at the end of the 19th century with a design by Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951). To the delight of fans from all over the world, the Porsche Museum opened in 1976 within the grounds of the Zuffenhausen factory. On a rotating basis, it displays 20 vehicles from a 400-strong collection of these super-fast cars. This includes the legendary 356 roadster and its 20 subsequent variants. There are also frequent special exhibitions, offering an insight into the company's history and the rise of Ferdinand Porsche's famous sports cars, the first of which rolled off the production line in 1936. This automotive dreamland takes visitors back to the Golden Age of motor racing, and shows how the invention of the car has shaped mankind and the environment more than any other technological advance. Right next to the museum is the factory's very own handover centre, where you can see proud owners driving off their brand-new Porsches. Open all year round.
» www.porsche.com
