The Deutsches Museum

As many of you know, Ryan and I just got back from Europe on Sunday night. We spent several days in Munich, then took a train down south to Vienna, where we spent the rest of the week.

One of the first things we did in Munich was visit the Deutsches Museum, which is the "German Museum". (Rather generic name for a museum, huh?) It's actually a giant Science and Industry museum, and when I say "giant", I mean big. It actually takes up an entire island in the middle of a river that runs through Munich. We spent about 4 hours there and easily only covered maybe a third of the museum. I honestly have to say this is one of my favorite museums in the whole world (and I've seen a few!)


Me, in front of the Museuminsel, or "Museum Island"


Ryan and I in front of the entrance to the museum

I have been to just a few Science and Industry museums in the States, the most notably being the one in Chicago. Although I feel like they're helpful, it seems to me that many of the museums are aimed at children. What I appreciate so much about this museum is that has detailed information, illustrated by very hands-on examples. Specifically, the museum does a very good job of illustrating step-by-step processes, such as how the "stamping" process works for creating metal or plastic objects such as car engines, or how stainless steel is manufactured.


Ryan and I on the high score list for winning a computer game where we had to pick out which objects are made out of stainless steel. We're second from the right on the top row. Yes, we're famous now.


Model of a power plant

Another thing I really like about the museum is that it will show various kinds of a models of a thing or a technology. For instance, you might first see a fairly life-like panorama of something.




Panoramas

Then, they might show you a life-like model of something.


Model of a windmill

And finally, they'll show you a version of the real thing, except they'll expose a cross-section of the item that you can look at and touch.


Ryan in front of a real boat. He's walking down some steps, past a cross section of the cabins inside boat.



Helicopter cross-section and engine

Much like the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, the Deutsches Museum has an impressive hall of planes and helicopters, that includes real war planes, helicopters, and commerical planes.


Ryan, the fighter pilot


Hall of aeronautics

I wish I could show you all we saw. i think my favorite part was the real, underground tunnel that took us through the history of mining. Although I'd been through that part of the tour before, it now seemed more pertinent, since a lot of coal-mining goes on in the southern Illinois and Missouri area.

We even saw a sample of a camera, the Kodak disc camera, that Ryan's uncle worked on several decades ago.


Uncle Bob's camera

I wish we had had time to see the sections on glass-making, textiles, printing, toy-making, clothing design, astronomy, and more. It was my fourth time in the museum and I still wish I could go back again. If anyone is planning a trip to Munich, I highly recommend visiting this place.