Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany

The Deutsches Museum is the world's largest museum of science and technology, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology.

The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association of German Engineers as an initiative of Oskar von Miller. 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. In 1944, near the end of the war, the building was hit by numerous air strikes. More than 80% of the structure was destroyed.

This amazing attraction is the largest technological museum of its kind in the world and is renowned for its incredible historic artifacts, which mark important steps in the field of science and technology. Exhibits at the Deutsches Museum are many and varied and cover topics such as aerospace, astronomy, agriculture, computers, chemistry, electricity, marine navigation, mining, music, railways, and telecommunication.

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User Reviews

Giorgio Manzi (5 months ago)
Massive place. Easily will take a full day. Download app for fun time. Regular admission costly but great for students. I would also recommend downloading translating by photo app on your phone as lot of the descriptions are in Germany. Regardless highly interactive and would definitely go back as museum always developing.

Tomás Rasga (6 months ago)
Wonderful experience! Rich and overwhelming bursts of culture throughout the rooms

Cristina Dobos (7 months ago)
This museum must have been a huge achievement 30 years ago. Unfortunately it really doesn’t keep up with the times, which is ironical for a technology museum. The entry costs 14E which can be explained only by the space covered but not the entertaining or easiness to navigate factor. Much of the info is outdated and is presented like in a school book (no video, no way to connect to the visitors), everything in German only almost

Tomas Žvinys (7 months ago)
Wonderful big museum. Pretty interactive and has a canteen inside. Good place for whole family, I believe. I'm sure everyone will find something interesting. Most of the exhibits have translations in English (mining industry is a bit of an exception unfortunately). On the other hand - the mining industry part is probably the most amazing and unique.

Peter Gibbs (9 months ago)
The size of the museum and the number of exhibits really make this place shine. You can easily spend 5+ hours here being moderately thorough and still have plenty to see for a return visit. The building itself is quite elegant, and is located on an Island with scenic river views on both sides. Many of the older exhibits are in German only, but most have English translations. There is plenty to see for adults, and plenty of run-around interactive science exhibits for kids. Interactive exhibits are clearly marked on the map, allowing for easier planning for parents.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.

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