Munich’s Top 10 : Deutsches Museum

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The Deutsches Museum, founded by Oskar von Miller in
1903, is housed on an island in the Isar River in a building dating from
1925. The world’s largest museum of technology and engineering is a
tour de force – only a fraction of the exhibits can be viewed in a
single day. The best approach is to plan your visit in advance.

  • Museumsinsel 1

  • S-Bahn: Isartor (all lines), U1/U2: Fraun­hoferstraße, Tram: 17, 18

  • 089 21 79 1


  • www.deutschesmuseum.de

  • Open 9am–5pm daily (some departments until 8pm Thu)

  • Closed 1 Jan, Shrove Tue, Good Fri, 1 May, 1 Nov, 21 Dec, 24–25 Dec, 31 Dec


Museum Guide

The museum’s 17,000
exhibits are displayed over six floors. The lower floors feature heavy
vehicles and sections dealing with chemistry, physics, scientific
instruments, and aviation. The middle floors are dedicated to the
decorative arts, and the upper floors are devoted to astronomy,
information technology, and microelectronics. The Zeiss Planetarium is
located in the dome on the sixth floor.




Floorplan of the Deutsches Museum



The museum on Museums- Insel in the Isar River

A good alternative to
the museum cafeteria is Café im Volksbad in the Müller Baths, a splendid
Art Nouveau building across from the museum.


The museum shop sells model kits (including robots), games, building sets, instruments, posters, and books.


Laser shows are presented in the Zeiss Planetarium on the sixth floor; tickets for these events are sold separately.


NOTE

For details on Deutsches Museum see branch museums


Top 10 Sights

  1. Galileo’s Workshop

    In
    the Physics section, a reconstruction of Galileo’s workshop features a
    large collection of equipment used by the famous astronomer and
    physicist.

  2. Pharmaceuticals

    The highlight of this section, opened in 2000, is a model of a human cell magnified 350,000 times.

  3. Enigma Machine

    The Enigma encoding machine, built during World War II, is a fine example of early information technology.




  4. Zeiss Planetarium

    Projected
    onto the 15-m (49-ft) dome of the sixth floor are the sun, the moon,
    the planets, constellations, and nebulae, as well as the more than 5,000
    fixed stars visible to the naked eye.

  5. Mining

    Exhibits on mining technology over five centuries are featured in the mining section.

  6. Musical Instruments

    Sounds for Hitchcock’s The Birds were created on the trautonium.

  7. Aviation and Space Travel

    Dozens
    of airplanes are on display, including an original by the Wright
    brothers and the famous Junkers JU-52. You can even board some planes.
    More exhibits on travel are housed at Flugwerft Schleißheim, a branch
    museum.

  8. Power Machinery

    Steam
    engines, motor engines, and turbines are to be found here. Some of
    these colossal machines, like the Alban high-pressure steam engine are
    veritable works of art.

  9. Telecommunications

    Superb
    exhibits such as the first 19th-century telegraph, Thomas Edison’s
    gramophone, and a 1913 AEG transmitter are displayed here, along with
    the latest in communications technology.

  10. Marine Navigation

    Along
    with countless model ships, the vast exhibition hall features several
    original sail- and steamboats, such as the 1932 steam tugboat Renzo and
    the wooden fishing vessel Ewer Maria.


Deutsches Museum Collections

  1. Physics & Astronomy

    The
    physics section features mechanical aids such as pulleys, pumps, and
    measuring and observation devices – including Foucault’s pendulum, which
    featured in Umberto Eco’s eponymous novel. A sense of the size and age
    of our universe is conveyed in the astronomy section.

  2. Clocks, Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals & Environment

    Examples
    of traditional craftsmanship are on display in the extensive clock and
    watch exhibit. In the chemistry section, famous experiments and a
    reconstruction of Justus von Liebig’s laboratory fascinate visitors.
    Rooms dedicated to pharmaceuticals show the evolution of drug research.
    Ecological issues are dealt with in the environment exhibit.

  3. Mining, Metallurgy, & Agriculture

    In
    the basement, a re-created mine is complemented by exhibits on the more
    than 12,000-year-old history of metallurgy. The agriculture section
    demonstrates the cultivation of cereals and grain, brewing, and sugar
    refining.

  4. Glass Ceramics, & Machine Tools

    In
    this section, materials and production techniques used in a variety of
    industries are on display. These include exhibits demonstrating glass
    and paper manufacture; the range of ceramics manufacture, from bricks to
    fine china; and tools from Stone Age drills to computer-controlled
    lathes.

  5. Energy Technology

    From
    original windmills to plasma- and fusion-technology, this section
    features inventions that facilitate everyday life. The huge steam
    engines and high-voltage experiments are not to be missed.

  6. Communications

    In
    addition to telegraph and radio equipment, this department includes
    sections on printing technology, photography, and film. Visitors can
    marvel at room-sized computers from the 1940s and 1950s.

  7. Marine Navigation

    Numerous
    models of ships illustrate several millennia of marine navigation. The
    rescue cruiser Theodor Heuss is displayed in the open-air exhibition
    space to the south of the museum.

  8. Aviation and Space Travel

    In
    the vast hall, 220 years of aviation history are re-created – from the
    Montgolfier brothers’ hot-air balloons to modern jets. The space travel
    section includes a replica of the Spacelab.

  9. Civil Engineering

    An
    authentic suspension bridge dominates the exhibition hall; wall-mounted
    screens track the oscillations as visitors venture onto and then cross
    over this swaying bridge.

  10. Kid’s Kingdom

    Reserved
    exclusively for children and accompanying adults, this section is
    designed for young scientists, ages three and up. Interactive exhibits
    let children experience phenomena such as communication, energy, optics,
    and acoustics. The Technical Toys section offers welcome relaxation
    after all the hands-on research.


This selection represents a fraction of the highlights – there are many more, such as a reconstruction of the Altamira cave.


For detailed information on the branch museums, visit www.deutsches-museum.de


The Branch Museums

Flugwerft Schleißheim,
the Deutsches Museum’s branch museum on the history of aviation, is
located in an old airplane hanger on a historic airfield in Schleißheim (

Effnerstraße 18, Oberschleißheim;

089
31 57 14 0). In addition to the old buildings and the airfield itself,
this site offers 7,800 sq m (84,000 sq ft) of exhibition space housing
over 50 airplanes, helicopters, and hang-gliders, as well as instruments
and equipment. There are special exhibitions, children’s tours, and
expert-guided tours. The museum also has a shop and a restaurant –
Pegasus – that serves as a year-round venue for exhibitions by young
artists.

The Verkehrszentrum, or Transportation Centre, was opened in 2003 on the Theresienhöhe (

Theresien­höhe 14a;

089
500 80 61 40). Three heritage-protected halls, once home to the Munich
Fair, now house his­toric locomotives, automobiles, carriages, and
bicycles. With this branch museum, the Deutsches Museum has created the
largest transportation museum in the world, offering a detailed and
comprehensive exploration of urban transportation, travel, mobility, and
transportation technology. Special exhibitions and lectures round out
the programme.
Top 10 Aviation & Transportation

  1. Fokker D VII, fighter aircraft (World War I)

  2. Douglas DC-3, commercial aircraft, 1943

  3. Heinkel He 111, bomber aircraft (World War II)

  4. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

  5. Dornier Do31, vertical lift-off aircraft

  6. Puffing Billy (first locomotive in the world)

  7. Drais wheel

  8. Benz motorcar (first automobile in the world)

  9. Rumpler “Tropfenwagen” (aerodynamic car, 1921)

  10. NSU Delphin III motorcycle, 1956