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The Deutsches Museum (''German Museum'', officially (English: ''German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology'')) in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, Germany, is the world's largest museum of
science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
and
technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...
, with about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. It receives about 1.5 million visitors per year. The museum was founded on 28 June 1903, at a meeting of the
Association of German Engineers Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) (English: Association of German Engineers) is an organization of over 150,000 engineers and natural scientists. More than 12,000 honorary experts process the latest technical findings each year to promote the techn ...
(VDI) as an initiative of
Oskar von Miller Oskar von Miller (7 May 1855 – 9 April 1934) was a German engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, a large museum of technology and science in Munich. Biography Born in Munich into an Upper Bavarian family from Aichach, he was the son of ...
. It is the largest museum in Munich. For a period of time the museum was also used to host pop and rock concerts including
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, Jimi Hendrix and Elton John.


Museumsinsel

The main site of the Deutsches Museum is a small island in the Isar river, which had been used for rafting wood since the Middle Ages. The island did not have any buildings before 1772 because it was regularly flooded prior to the building of the
Sylvensteinspeicher Sylvenstein Dam is an earthen embankment dam in the Isar valley, in the alpine part of Upper Bavaria, Germany which impounds the Sylvenstein Reservoir (german: Sylvensteinspeicher). In the 1920s, several hydropower plants were built in the trib ...
. In 1772 the Isar barracks were built on the island and, after the flooding of 1899, the buildings were rebuilt with flood protection. In 1903 the city council announced that they would donate the island for the newly built Deutsches Museum. The island formerly known as Kohleninsel (coal island) was then renamed Museumsinsel.


Other sites

In addition to the main site on the ''Museumsinsel'', the museum has two branches in and near Munich, one in
Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
, and one in
Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
. The Flugwerft Schleißheim branch is located some 18 kilometres north of Munich's city centre close to
Schleißheim Palace The Schleißheim Palace (german: Schloss Schleißheim) comprises three individual palaces in a grand Baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim, a suburb of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian ruler ...
. It is based on the premises of one of the first military airbases in Germany founded just before World War I. It comprises the old air control and command centre as well as modern buildings added in the late 2000s after strong endorsement from Franz Josef Strauss, former prime minister of the state of Bavaria (1978 to 1988), who was a passionate flyer. The Flugwerft Schleißheim displays various interesting airplanes for which there was insufficient room at the Museumsinsel site in downtown Munich. Among the more prominent exhibits is a Horten flying wing glider built in the 1940s, restored from the few surviving parts. A collection of the German constructions of VTOL (vertical take off and landing) planes developed in the 1950s and 1960s is unique. A range of Vietnam era fighter planes as well as Russian planes taken over from
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
after the reunification are on display. This outstation also features a workshop dedicated to the restoration of all types of airplanes intended for static display. In 2003, the Deutsches Museum Verkehrzentrum was opened. Located at Theresienhöhe in Munich it focuses on transportation technology. The branch located in Bonn was opened in 1995 and focuses on German technology, science and research after 1945. The latest opening of a branch was the Deutsches Museum Nuremberg - "Das Zukunftsmuseum", in September of 2021. It focuses on future technology and its impact on humans and society.


Oskar von Miller

Oskar von Miller studied electrical engineering and is otherwise known for building the first
high voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
line from Miesbach to Munich (57 km) in 1882 for the electrical technology exhibition at the Glaspalast in Munich. In 1883 he joined AEG and founded an engineering office in Munich. The
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
electricity exhibition in 1891 and several power plants contributed to the reputation of Oskar von Miller. In the early years, the exhibition and the collection of the Deutsches Museum were strongly influenced personally by Oskar von Miller.


History

A few months before the 1903 meeting of the Society of German Engineers, Oskar von Miller gathered a small group who supported his desire to found a science and technology museum. In a showing of support this group spontaneously donated 260,000 marks to the cause and elected a "Provisional Committee" to get the ball rolling. In June 1903, Prince Ludwig agreed to act as patron of the museum and the city of Munich donated Coal Island as a site for the project. In addition, exhibits began to arrive from Munich, Germany, and abroad including collections from the Bavarian Academy. As no dedicated museum building existed, the exhibits were displayed in the National Museum. On 12 November 1906, the temporary exhibits at the National Museum were ceremonially opened to the public and on November 13 the foundation stone was laid for the permanent museum. The first name of the museum, the "German Museum for Masterpieces of Natural Science and Technology", was not meant to limit the museum to German advances in science and technology, but to express the importance of science and technology to the German people. Oskar von Miller opened the new museum on his 70th birthday, 2 May 1925, after a delay of almost ten years. From the beginning, the museum displays are backed up by documents available in a public library and archives, which are open seven days a week to ensure access to the working public. Before and during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
the museum was put on a shoestring budget by the Nazi party and many exhibits were allowed to get out of date with a few exceptions such as the new automobile room dedicated 7 May 1937. By the end of 1944 the museum was badly damaged by air bombings with 80% of the buildings and 20% of the exhibits damaged or destroyed. As Allied troops marched into Munich in April 1945, museum director, Karl Bässler, barely managed to keep the last standing bridge to Museum Island from being blown up by retreating German troops. Following the war the museum had to be closed for repairs and temporary tenants, such as the College of Technology and the Post Office used museum space as their own buildings were being reconstructed. The Museum was also home to the Central Committee of the Liberated Jews, representing Jewish
displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...
s in the
American Zone Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...
of Germany after the war, as well as to UNRRA that operated a camp for
displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...
s and later an International University with over 2000 students. In November 1945, the library was able to reopen, followed by the congress hall in January 1946. A special exhibit on fifty years of the
Diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
opened in October 1947 and the regular exhibits began reopening in May 1948. Not until 1965, more than twenty years after the end of the war in Germany, did the exhibit area match (and then exceed) pre-war size. During the 1950s, the museum focused on natural sciences rather than technology and many of the traditional large exhibits, such as civil engineering, were reduced in size to make way for more modern technological advances. At a speech on the donation of a
Opel RAK Opel-RAK were a series of rocket vehicles produced by German automobile manufacturer Fritz von Opel, of the Opel car company, in association with others, including Max Valier, Julius Hatry, and Friedrich Wilhelm Sander. Opel RAK is generally con ...
2 rocket-car replica to the Deutsches Museum, rocket pioneer
Fritz von Opel Fritz Adam Hermann von Opel (4 May 1899 – 8 April 1971) was a German rocket technology pioneer and automotive executive, nicknamed "Rocket-Fritz". He is remembered mostly for his spectacular demonstrations of rocket propulsion that earned him an ...
summarized the history of rocketry ("Ein Pionier des Raketenantriebs berichtet", April 3, 1968) beginning with ancient rocket technologies over the world's first rocket program
Opel RAK Opel-RAK were a series of rocket vehicles produced by German automobile manufacturer Fritz von Opel, of the Opel car company, in association with others, including Max Valier, Julius Hatry, and Friedrich Wilhelm Sander. Opel RAK is generally con ...
, initiated by
Max Valier Max Valier (9 February 1895 – 17 May 1930) was an Austrian rocketry pioneer. He was a leading figure in the world's first large-scale rocket program, Opel-RAK, and helped found the German ''Verein für Raumschiffahrt'' (VfR – "Spacefligh ...
,
Friedrich Wilhelm Sander '' Friedrich Wilhelm Sander (25 August 1885 in Glatz (Kłodzko) – 15 September 1938) was a German pyrotechnics and rocket technology engineer as well as manufacturer remembered for his contributions to rocket-powered flight as key protagonist of ...
and himself, to NASA's space missions of the 1960s. In August 1969, the Apollo 8 space capsule was shown in a special exhibit entitled "Man and Space" and in 1970 the first full-time director, Theo Stillger, was appointed. In the 1970s the mission statement of the museum was modified to encourage the explanation of the cultural significance of science and technology in exhibits. The early 1980s saw severe damage to several exhibits due to arson resulting in the smallest exhibit space of 34,140 square meters. This was followed by an extensive reconstruction effort and additional building bringing the total exhibit space to 55,000 square meters by 1993. The 1980s and '90s also brought agreements with the Science Centre in Bonn and the government resulting in the creation of Deutsches Museum Bonn and the Flugwerft Schleißheim airfield exhibit. In 1996, the Bavarian Government gave buildings at the historic Theresienhöhe site in Munich to the Deutsches Museum resulting in the creation of the new transportation museum, the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum, which opened in 2003 and now houses the road vehicle and train exhibits that were removed from the original Deutsches Museum site. The Theresienhöhe quarter is a new area on the edge of the inner city of Munich, and the Museum of Transport is a part of the quarter's design of mixed use.


Chronology

* 1903 Museum's foundation * 1906 Opening the provisional collections in the rooms of the former National Museum in Maximilianstrasse * 1909 Opening additional collections in the old barracks on the Isar (Ehrhardtstraße) * 1911 Topping out ceremony of collection house * 1925 Opening of the Deutsches Museum in the new building on Museum Island * 1928 Laying the foundation stone for the library and hall * 1930 Topping out ceremony of the library and hall * 1932 Opening of the library * 1935 Opening of the Congress Center * 1944 Destruction of 80 percent of the building * 1948 Reopening after the destruction * 1983 Destruction of marine and engine sections by fire * 1984 Opening of the new hall for Aerospace; temporary closure of some departments to hail and water damage * 1992 Opening of the Schleißheim's Aviation Museum at the Oberschleißheim's airport * 1995 Opening a branch of the Deutsches Museum in
Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
* 2003 Opening of the Transportation Center on the former exhibition grounds * 2006 Opening the Halls I and II of Transportation Center on the Theresienhöhe * October 2015 start of the first major phase of renovation/modernization, with several exhibits closing *September 2021 Opening of the branch Deutsches Museum Nuremberg - "Das Zukunftsmuseum"


Current permanent exhibits

* Aerospace * Agriculture * Altamira Cave, reproduction of a Spanish cave with stone-age paintings * Amateur Radio * Astronautics * Astronomy * Bridge Building * Ceramics * Chemistry * Chronometry * Computers * Digital Imaging * Electrical Power * Energy Technology * Environment * Geodesy * Glass * History of the Deutsches Museum * Hydraulic Engineering * Machine Components * Machine Tools * Marine Navigation * Masterpieces * Mining (Historical and Modern) * Metallurgy * Microelectronics * Mineral Oil and Natural Gas * Music * Paper * Pharmaceutics * Physics * Power Machinery * Printing * Scientific Instruments * Technical Toys * Telecommunications * Textile Technology * Tunnel Construction * Weights and Measures


See also

*
Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim Flugwerft Schleissheim is an aviation museum located in the German town of Oberschleißheim near Munich, it forms part of the Deutsches Museum collection and complements the aviation exhibits on display at the main site. The museum was opened on ...
(the D.M.'s offsite aviation museum) * List of museums in Germany *
MVG Museum The MVG Museum of the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft is a public transportation museum for the presentation of historical and modern public transportation in Munich. In an area of over are around 25 historical trams, buses and work vehicles o ...


References


Bibliography


Deutsches Museum
* Deutsches Museum, English ''Museum Guide'', 3rd ed. 2005
Deutsches Museum (English only)


External links


Deutsches Museum

Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim

Deutsches Museum Transport Centre

Deutsches Museum in Bonn
* Museums in Munich Science museums in Germany Railway museums in Bavaria National museums of Germany Aerospace museums in Germany Automobile museums in Germany Registered historic buildings and monuments in Bavaria Industry museums in Germany Technology museums in Germany Museums established in 1903 {{WikidataCoord