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Deutsches Museum

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larrissaBCE
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4 out of 5
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8
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Editor Pick

Deutsches Museum

  • December 6, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
Deutsches Museum

In my experience, this is probably the largest and best museum of science and technology in the world. It is also the most popular museum in Germany for good reason. The building is vast and it would take all day to see most areas. There is also an extensive library. The collection keeps growing so that the museum has now opened three other branches where some of the more interesting displays are now held. This is a great pity for the short-time visitor because these other venues are not close-by and most people will not make the effort to see them.

I first visited here in 1966 and was blown away by the place. The huge railway, aviation and automobile displays were staggering. Some of these are now in the branch buildings so the main museum was not quite so impressive from this point of view but many of the other displays have been upgraded and improved so there is still heaps to see.

One of the great things is the demonstrations that are held throughout the day. Most are only presented in German but English speakers will still have some idea as to what is happening. We particularly enjoyed the High-voltage unit which is demonstrated three times a day. It is obviously popular with others as it was quite crowded but you could still see everything.

The other area that I found fascinating was the mining section in the basement. You enter tunnels and shafts so soon it appears that you are in an actual mine. Someone I was with asked if this mine was still being worked today. Of course, it has never been a real mine but it is certainly lifelike. Many visitors miss this area. I strongly recommend that you don’t.

My engineering background came to the fore in the bridges area. There are photographs and models of many significant European bridges and a small curved suspension bridge to walk across. That is certainly unusual. I was also interested in the aircraft section where models and actual units take you through to the space age.

To really see the museum properly, you need a full day. We had nothing like this so had to try to see the highlights. Even then you need three hours and you need to cover four floors. There are few places to sit as you move around but there is a café/restaurant where you can take a break.

The Deutsches Museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm except January 1, Shrove Tuesday, Good Friday, May 1, November 1, and December 24, 25, and 31. Admission costs €8.50 for adults, €3 for children aged 6 and over. There is no charge for using the library or archive.

The use of cameras (still and video) is permitted for private purposes. The museum shop sells various publications as well as a wide range of scientific and technical books, toys, models, construction kits, etc.

From journal Munich Top Sights

Editor Pick

Deutsch Museum

  • October 13, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by applejacks from Irvine, California
Deutsch Museum

The Deutsch Museum is one of the world's largest science and technology museums and contains displays on everything from aerospace and agriculture to metallurgy and music. The museum was established in 1903 and exhibits were first displayed in 1906. This makes the museum an impressive 100-years-old!

We wandered around most of the museum, but we were really there to see the airplanes. My husband had been to the museum when he was about 10 years old, and like most small boys, was (and still is) enamored with airplanes. The large quantity of intact and well-maintained aircraft made an impression on him as a child and he had been eagerly awaiting another visit to Munich since then. Some of the more notable aircraft include: An EWR VJ 101 (one of the first successful models of vertical takeoff and landing jet aircraft) and an ME262 (the first type of operational jet fighter). My husband spent about 45 minutes viewing and photographing the planes. I took a brisk 10-minute walk around and then sat down in chair and napped.

If you're like me and have lukewarm feelings about airplanes, don't fret... With 8 floors, the Deutsch Museum has something for everyone. For example, there is a reproduction of the Altamira Cave, which is a cave in Spain containing prehistoric paintings, and a display on the history of computers. I especially enjoyed the sections on musical instruments and pharmacology housed on the first floor and the astronomy sections on the third and fourth floors. There's even a planetarium in the museum where you can see a show for an extra 2 euro. Many of the exhibits are hands-on and are good for children. In fact, I would guess that most of the visitors we saw in the museum were school groups. Most of the displays have shorter English version of the German text.

The main branch of the museum is located on a small island in the Isar River and is easily accessible by train, tram and bus. If you're taking the train, use U-Bahn routes 1 and 2 to Fraunhoferstrasse or any S-Bahn train to Isartor. There is no museum parking available. The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm, but does close on a few dates each year. Admission is 8.50 euros for adults and 3 euros for children and students. There is a restaurant on site and several snack bars if you get hungry. In fact, there is one very close to the airplanes if you're also traveling with an aeronautics fan.

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed by the Deutsches Museum. I don't know if it was the overcast weather, the fact that I had left all my toiletries in the previous city, or the hype about the museum, but it just didn't wow me the way I expected. Still, I would highly recommend seeing it. The quantity of material and the quality of the displays make it well worth your time.

From journal A Short Stay in Munich

Deutsches Museum

  • July 5, 2005
  • Rated 2 of 5 by karameister from Saint Paul, Minnesota

The Deutches Museum claims that it is the largest technical museum in Europe. Having never visited another technical museum in Europe, I agree! The one thing the museum forgot to mention is that the majority of the exhibits are boring.

There are about a zillion exhibits at the Deutsches Museum, and you could get lost inside of it. They have exhibits on chemistry, textiles, ceramics, paper, and more. If you've never had a burning desire to learn the fine art of papermaking, though, you will be bored. There are three exhibits that I found really interesting in the whole place: telecommunications, bicycles, and motor vehicles.

The good news is that there never seems to be a queue, and it's easy to get to with public transportation. Admission is 7.5 euros, but almost anyone can get a discount - students, older folks, and young children.

From journal Munich: Bits of History Amid the Future

Editor Pick

Deutsches Museum

  • April 7, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by caromeow from Prague, Czech Republic
Deutsches Museum

http://www.deutsches-museum.de/e_index.htm

Normally open daily 9am to 5pm, it is closed some holidays--see website for details.

Entry 7,50 adults, 3 for students/children up to 15 years old

I decided to check this museum out early in the morning before I left Munich. The museum opens its doors at 9am, and I got there at 9:30 and had roughly two hours to play. So, I went through kind of quickly and without having planned out my destinations. One hint: this museum is HUGE. I could have easily stayed there for five hours, with plenty of museum left uncovered.

First, I headed for the mining exhibit, because it was recommended in my guidebook. This is pretty cool. It tells you when you go in that it takes about 45 minutes to walk through. I might have taken a little less long. It depends on how much you read. You go through different tunnels, so it’s as though you yourself are a miner, and there are different mines to wander through: salt mines, coal mines, etc. Kids get a kick out of it as well. And every now and then, there’s a room that’s more museum-like, with information on mining and the things that are mined, etc. In these stations, there’s extensive info in both German AND English, but in the mines, only basic signs are translated to English.

When I emerged from the mining exhibit, I had to get my bearings, but it turns out that you come out right near the entrance. The only other exhibit I had time for was the boat one, which is what you see when you first enter the museum. It’s REALLY cool and has tons of models and real-life boats. There are even boats you can climb into! Tons of fun for kids!

From the two exhibits I checked out and the few I kind of skimmed over, I can tell that this museum is set up REALLY well. It is very user-friendly, lots of interactive exhibits, tons of fun for kids and adults, and tons of learning! I would guess that on normal weekdays, it’s packed with school groups.

HINTS:

If you have limited time, check out the website and make a plan of attack so that you get to see the things you most want to see.

Get there early! I left the museum between 11am and 11:30, and the line was WAY out the door. Of course, that was Easter Monday, a holiday, but still. Something to keep in mind. If possible, I’d try getting there between 9 and 10am to beat the crowds.

From journal Easter in Munich

Editor Pick

Deutsches Museum

  • January 26, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by su-lin from London, United Kingdom
Deutsches Museum

After a busy day at the Residenz, my brother and I decided to wander over to the Deustches Museum. I had originally planned on giving this a miss but friends who had come highly recommended it. And as we are both studying in science fields, there's no excuse really!

Entrance for students is a bargain--only €3. It's €7.50 for adults. The museum is open from 9am to 5pm, and there are separate fees if you wish to take in a show at the planetarium or to go up the tower.

Language was not a problem. Everything was labelled in both German and English, but longer descriptions were only available in German. There were plenty of hands-on activities that make it a terrific outing for the family. My particular favourite were the chemical reactions--large containers of particular chemicals were hooked up to a test tube. Pressing a button would siphon some of the chemicals into the tube so you could see the reaction. Neat!

Another favourite of mine was the collection of musical instruments. Head to the back room where the electronic instruments are kept and there is a replica theremin for you to try! The replica of the Altamira cave (the original is in Northern Spain) is also fantastic - it's a mock-up of the cave itself along with the cave paintings that were found. As the original cave is no longer accessible to the public, this is the next best thing.

I had heard great things about the mining exhibit, so I dragged my brother towards it. This consists of reproductions of life-sized mines that are located in the basement of the building. This exhibit is NOT recommended for claustrophobics! You start by going down a winding staircase for about three stories. Then it's a maze of mine shafts, detailing a chronological history of mining. It's absolutely terrific but it's also absolutely very long. We tired after a while, and even when we picked up the pace, it still took over 20 minutes to finish the exhibit! This one needs time.

The museum is huge. Your feet will tire. Throughout the museum are these hilarious foot massagers where for 50 cents, your feet will be vibrated to numbness. I know because I tried it! It does work--it gave me an extra half hour of walking around when I thought my feet would fall off.

There are displays of pretty much everything you can think of so long as it concerns science and technology: civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computers, food technology, biology, anatomy, chemistry. To see everything properly, you will need a full day or perhaps even more. With the two hours we had, we were only able to glimpse most of the exhibits. Previews of all of them can be found at the museum website.

From journal A Bavarian Christmas in Munich

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