Deutsches Museum (German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology)

Frommer's Review

On an island in the Isar River, in the heart of Munich, this is the largest technological museum of its kind in the world. Its huge collection of priceless artifacts and historic originals includes the first electric dynamo (Siemens, 1866), the first automobile (Benz, 1886), the first diesel engine (1897), and the laboratory bench at which the atom was first split (Hahn, Strassmann, 1938). There are hundreds of buttons to push, levers to crank, and gears to turn, as well as a knowledgeable, English-speaking staff to answer questions and demonstrate how steam engines, pumps, or historical musical instruments work.

The most popular displays are a series of model coal, salt, and iron mines, as well as the electric power hall, with high-voltage displays that actually produce lightning. There are also exhibits on transportation, printing, photography, textiles, and many activities, including glass-blowing and papermaking demonstrations. The air-and-space hall is the largest in the museum. A hall for high-tech exhibits, computer science, automation, microelectronics, and telecommunications is also very intriguing. The museum's astronomy exhibition shows how this science developed from its earliest beginnings to its current status and is the largest permanent astronomy exhibition in Europe. A good restaurant and a museum shop are on the premises.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

Back to Top