December 2006
What Moves us?
THE NEW TRANSPORTATION CENTER OF THE DEUTSCHES MUSEUM
Trains rumble by, planes soar miles overhead, bikers whiz past with the ring of a bell: It’s hard to get a handle on the moving world around us. The Deutsches Museum aims to give visitors a closer look at the chaotic world of motion with its new
Verkehrszentrum (Transportation Center) on the Theresienhöhe. Hall III was re-opened to the public in 2003; Halls I and II followed on October 21 of this year, during the Long Night of Museums.
In reality, it’s only the exhibitions that are new: the buildings themselves are renovated trade-fair exhibition halls built by the City in 1908. Hall III was in its day Europe’s largest self-supporting iron and cement structure. By 1998, however, the space proved too small for Munich Trade Fairs, which moved operations to new premises, in Riem. Luckily, the Deutsches Museum was also looking to expand, and began renovation of the historic halls to house the new permanent collection of the
Verkehrszentrum. The renovation work was financed by both the State of Bavaria and the City of Munich. The halls’ status as listed buildings made some renovation efforts difficult, but, as a result, historic design elements have fortunately been preserved. Today the halls themselves are as much of an attraction as the 1,000 items they contain in their 12,000 square meters of exhibition space. Along with the flight museum in Schleissheim and the main museum on the Museumsinsel, this new site rounds out the offerings of the science and technology powerhouse.
Exhibitions in Hall III are centered around an exploration of mobility and technology through the ages. Especially in recent centuries, mankind has striven to go beyond the physical constraints of the human body. Recent centuries have seen the most striking advancements in motor technologies to help humans go faster, higher and longer. With exhibits ranging from medieval bone ice skates to the latest high-tech skis, Hall III celebrates the human desire to explore the possibilities of motion and the concomitant tools to which this search has given rise. Exhibitions are divided into subcategories: “The Desire for Movement,” “Biking and Motor Sport,” “Discoveries,” “The Limits of Mobility,” “Ways to the Bicycle,” “Vehicle and Function” and “Clean Energy.”
Hall III also hosts lectures related to these topics and the future of transportation. Local transportation authorities, members of the ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club) and specialists from the Munich Technical University host talks on such topics as “Dangerous Souvenirs: Health Concerns for Travelers” and “Too Many Rowdies and not Enough Cavaliers: German Street Etiquette.”
Halls I and II have also garnered rave reviews since their recent opening. Anyone who was able to catch a glimpse of the vehicles while they were being transported through the city earlier this year can imagine how impressive it is to see the behemoths gathered together in one space.
Visitors to Hall I explore “Traffic in the City” by walking through an oversized model of a city street. As street lights guide the way on a journey back through the history of mass transportation, visitors get a firsthand look at every stage in motor development by climbing inside prototypes of the Berlin S-Bahn from 1927 or sitting in the driver’s seat of a gigantic truck. “Side streets” are devoted to such smaller means of transport as bikes or skates and informational islands dotted throughout the hall provide information on related themes, such as “Environment” and “Security.”
Hall II is devoted to “The Delight and the Burden of Travel,” starting with the days of the rambling Romans and concluding with the modern era. One popular attraction — a coach simulator — illuminates the second half of that theme by giving visitors the painful experience of traveling a bumpy road on the hard seats of an 18th-century coach. Those who’d like to travel more comfortably through history can settle in to a glistening 1950s Cadillac sedan.
As Munich moves in to the future, the new halls help us to explore what has moved us in the past.
The
Verkehrszentrum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, and Thursdays until 8 pm. Entry costs € 5 and € 3 for reduced tickets. Call 217 95 209, or visit
www.was-uns-bewegt.de for more information. <<<
