The museum complex, which is the property of Munich, was opened in 1903. It completely occupies the territory of the small island of Isar, presents more than 28 thousand exhibits dedicated to science, technology and the achievements of mankind. One of the largest technical museums in the world is trying to show expositions in an accessible visual form, and also holds demonstrations of various phenomena and production processes.
German Museum of History
The museum has 10 departments, each of them contains from 5 to 10 expositions, the study of which can take 2-3 hours. Up to 3 thousand people visit it daily. In advance, the visitor should think about what interests him most and what compositions he wants to see, otherwise you will have to spend more than a week on a fascinating inspection and, perhaps, not see everything that is presented.
The main building of the museum includes departments devoted to the natural sciences, energy, communications, materials and technologies, musical instruments and transport. Separately, it is worth noting that there is a department that is created specifically for children, where each child will spend time with benefit, taking the first steps in exploring the world of science. This department may include children from 3 to 8 years old.
In addition to the main building, there are also transport and aviation branches, which are located in other places of the city.
Department of Aeronautics and Aviation
One of the largest expositions is dedicated to the creation of transport in the sky around the world and the production of machinery in Germany.
You can start your acquaintance with airships and balloons, the first of which appeared in Paris in 1783, created by the Montgolfier brothers. One can also see attempts to build an aircraft, which was based on the study of the shape of seeds moving through the air.
The German Museum demonstrates with a separate stand the story of the German engineer Otto Lilienthal, who at one time thought about the construction of an aircraft based on the flight of birds and their soaring in the air without a flap of wings.
Next are the devices that were designed and supplemented by a motor and could already fly over short distances. This exposition is the next major stage in the development of aviation.
Particular attention is paid to the German aircraft designer Hugo Junkers, who worked in the late 19th century - early 20. Presented is the first passenger aircraft designed for 4 people - Junkers F13, which first flew in 1919.
The aviation halls feature the stands of the first jet aircraft and individual elements of a passenger airliner: fuselage, engine, landing gear.
In the aeronautics and aviation department, only a part of the exhibits is represented, the main one is in a separate transport branch at the historic Schleissheim airfield in Germany, and all lovers of mechanical engineering are recommended to visit the German Tank Museum in Munster, whose total area is 9,000 m².
Department of Navigation and Shipbuilding
For a long time, the connecting link between the continents was ships that transported people and goods until the 20th century. The main exhibit of the department is the ship "Maria", launched in 1880 and represents the era of sailing ships. The representative of the steel hulls and engines is the Renzo tugboat and the rescue boat, which was already powered by diesel in the second half of the 20th century.
The German Museum for the Curious established 2 submarines and more than 200 smaller boats and ships to explore the world of navigation.
The oldest model dates back to the 19th century - the Gutenberg vessel, you can also see models of Viking ships , caravels, three-masted vessels.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the presence of a luxurious passenger liner, on which they went on a long journey, was considered an indicator of the country's development. The museum presents a model of the liner "Kaiser Wilhelm II" launched in 1903. The cross section of the vessel shows the location of the cabins of different classes, engine room, the captain's cabin and the control place.
A separate exposition is shipbuilding. It demonstrates the process of installing a keel and launching, which also looks exciting.
It is worth noting that in addition to ship models and their construction, there is an exposition of life on the ship, navigation devices that were previously used and are being used now, and an exposition about the technologies of the underwater world, which allows everyone to look inside the submarine.
German Museum in Munich: Ceramics Expositions
A lot of attention was paid to transport, its development and production in the museum, but also expositions were created separately, no less important for the development of human life, for example, a collection of ceramics. Many people know that before, as now, they produced a lot of ceramic dishes, it is popular in different countries, it was even used for some time in the construction of houses. But few people are familiar with the fact that ceramics are used in the medical field to create artificial joints or heat insulation elements in power plants. Everyone who visits the German Museum will be able to purchase a ceramic souvenir with a registered stamp, since a unique functioning brick mini-factory is located on its territory.
Exposition on the production of sugar and brewing
The Museum of German History pays special attention to the brewing department, as many tourists travel to this wonderful country to taste delicious fresh beer. Expositions show how complex the production processes are, how brewing developed and how large factories and private breweries were built.
Sugar production is also a component of the German economy, and the exposition presents research by technologist Franz-Karl Ahard, who studied the content of sugar beets. In addition to models of factories in Germany, models of factories in the West Indies and Silesia, where brown sugar was made, as well as a 1960 factory for the production of already refined white sugar, which is still used today, are presented.
Expositions on the production of paper, glass and textiles
Paper, glass, textiles surround us everywhere and are very significant for human life. Few people got acquainted with the history of the appearance and development of these materials. The German Museum is ready to show expositions that will appeal to all visitors.
Paper-related exhibits are located in three rooms by developmental stages - the first room shows when and how papyrus and parchment appeared, and a paper production demonstration takes place at the appointed time in the 18th century. The second hall shows the next stage of development, when wood was used as raw material, when paper machines and machine tools were invented. The third room is modern paper production.
Textile expositions tell the story of the creation of clothing, not only as a necessary protection for the body, but also as an indicator of culture. You can trace how the production of fabric has changed: from manual labor to the use of computer-aided start of machine production.
In the glassmaking room you can see a copy of the glassmaking furnace, the mirror room and follow the history of glass for windows. Every day at a certain time you can watch the work of a real glassblower, which creates beautiful objects.
The main tower of the German Museum
The German Historical Museum has its own symbol - the clock tower, where the main meteorological instruments are located: a barometer, anemometer, hygrometer and thermometer, thanks to which you can get a complete picture of the weather in this place. The watch is also not easy: it shows the moon phase, days of the week and months in the form of graphic symbols and zodiac signs. Inside the tower there is a Fugo pendulum, showing the daily rotation of the Earth.
Museum working hours
The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for everyone. At the entrance to the ticket office, you must purchase tickets that differ in price for adults and children. It is convenient to purchase a family pass (2 adults and 2 children up to 15 years old), which costs about 12 euros, or buy a common ticket to the main building and additional branches for 16 euros, for children under 6 years old admission is free.
Most of the exhibits that are presented in the museum are allowed to touch, twist, twirl, because from the very beginning, according to Miller’s idea, this was the main concept of the museum.
Whatever museum you visit - the historical museum, the Pergamon museum in Berlin, the miniature wonderland in Hamburg, the Green Arches in Dresden or the German Tank Museum, you will leave only positive reviews. For the Germans it is very important what opinion they have about them, therefore everything is organized at the highest level.
Traveling in Germany
Germany is a country with a rich history and cultural heritage. Traveling around this country, you can see many beautiful places without even visiting any buildings. But to get acquainted with the history, it is worth seeing the main large cities, such as: Munich, Dresden, Hamburg, Stuttgart and others. When you are in Germany, be sure to visit the German Museum in Berlin, Munich and other cities!