BMW Museum

BMW Museum in Munich is one of the top ten most popular corporate technical expositions in Europe. This collection of the best examples of products of the world-famous German car and motorcycle manufacturer is located 5 kilometers northwest of the center of the Bavarian capital. The BMW Museum is connected to the center by convenient transport links.

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Video: BMW Museum

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General Information

The museum exhibition is organized chronologically, taking visitors from the brand’s past to its present and lifting the veil of the future. This idea is represented in a symbolic evolutionary spiral, in which exhibits reflecting the progress of technical ideas embodied in automobiles follow an ascending path – literally and figuratively.

The interior space of the BMW Museum, similar to a conventional street “rolled up” in a spiral, is placed in a compact enclosed volume. Visitors get acquainted with the exposition by climbing up a spiral ramp surrounded by exhibits, its length is about 1000 meters. At the end of the route, tourists reach an area with interactive equipment, demonstrating all the details of the device of modern cars and witty technologies used in production. Here there is also a small movie hall. After the inspection, visitors go downstairs on escalators.

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Nearby the BMW Museum rises the headquarters building of this automobile corporation, a large car factory operates nearby. In the same area is the BMW Welt (BMW World) car showroom, as well as an exhibition of classic cars of bygone years and a restored vintage machine shop – this museum location is called BMW Group Classic. It houses an archive of technical documentation, which is of interest to historians of technological progress.

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The futuristic styling of these structures turned them into recognizable symbols of the BMW Corporation and new landmarks in Munich. Today, the BMW Museum, the BMW Group’s headquarters, the BMW Welt showroom and the BMW Group Classic car exhibition constitute an integrated complex of tourist attractions. Travelers who come to see the wonders of the German car industry have the opportunity to see all these places during excursions that give a full understanding of the history of the auto giant and modern technologies of luxury car production.

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History of the BMW Museum

The prototype of the museum was an exhibition pavilion on the territory of the Munich plant, where samples of BMW products were demonstrated since 1922. In the 60s of the last century, cars from the corporation’s collection were exhibited in adapted rooms.

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The BMW Museum was opened in 1973. The decision to create it was made in the context of the large-scale construction of sports facilities in the surrounding area, where the Munich Olympics 1972 took place. The original building of the museum was designed by the talented Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer. It is a huge cylinder of silver metal, resting on a round base of smaller diameter, and in general resembles a bowl on a stand. The Germans nicknamed the building the “salad bowl.” The flat top of the cylindrical structure is decorated with the emblem of the BMW automobile corporation, representing the colors of the national flag of Bavaria – blue and white. By the way, the company’s abbreviation abbreviates its full name – Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works).

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In 2008, the BMW Museum was significantly expanded. Now its area is 5000 m², the number of exhibits has increased to 120, they are located on ramps grouped in 25 thematic exhibition areas, where the main milestones of the brand’s history are presented.

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Museum Exhibit

The exhibition opens with stands that tell about the origins of the company, which was founded by the Bavarian entrepreneur Karl Friedrich Rapp in October 1918. At first, aircraft engines were produced here, then powerful motorcycles, and finally automobiles. The most valuable of these are on display in the museum.

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All of these exhibits are the first, best or record-breaking of their kind. In 1919, for example, a powerful BMW engine took the airplane of the intrepid pilot Franz Diemer to a record height of 9,760 meters. Ten years later, motorcycle racer Ernst Henne set a world speed record of 216 km/h on a BMW motorcycle. In 1936, the first BMW 326 four-door sedans hit the German autobahns.

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The exposition also presents sports cars that have a loud fame. For example, the BMW 1500 model became the “founder” of a new class of cars in the world automobile industry – compact sports sedans. In the early 1970s, the corporation created a new division – BMW Motorsport, designing powerful engines and cars for participation in prestigious auto races.

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Rounding off the museum spiral are concept cars of the not-too-distant future. The concept car created for the 100th anniversary of the company – BMW Vision Next 100 – makes a special impression. It is a car capable of moving without driver’s participation. There is no dashboard here, information is displayed on the windshield, right in front of the eyes, without interfering with the view of the road. The car is able to respond to the mood of passengers, changing the intensity and color of interior lighting, adjusting the position of seats and climate control. The body of this luxury car consists of hundreds of small triangular sections that change spatial position to improve the aerodynamics of the car at high speeds.

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But today’s models are also little inferior to the museum concept cars. The production cars can be seen at the BMW World showroom, it is located near the museum.

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BMW World

The BMW Welt building, located to the west of the museum entrance, is a completely incredible structure that defies the usual laws of Earth’s gravity. This futuristic structure houses a car showroom where you can buy any of the models of BMW and other brands of the corporation produced today. Here, buyers order cars designed to their taste, and a few days later take their new “toys” from here.”

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However, they do not need to come and do not need to come – the company will deliver the purchased car anywhere on the planet. Guides tell tourists about the complex logistics of the concern, here you will learn about the history of design and construction of the building of the creation of this unusual car showroom.

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Car factory

More than 500,000 square meters – on such a colossal area, car production boils day and night in the workshops of the BMW Group’s headquarters. The huge plant employs 7,700 specialists from 50 countries. Every day 950 cars and 3,000 engines, as well as many other units and spare parts, are produced here.

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Today, BMW-3 cars of the sixth generation are produced at the main plant. Tours of the factory workshops are conducted, during which guides familiarize tourists with all stages of car production. The plant is constantly updated, in some shops access can be closed due to reconstruction or replacement of equipment. For example, in 2018, access for tourist tours to the assembly shop was temporarily restricted.

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BMW Headquarters

The corporate headquarters is located on Lerchenauer Strasse, opposite the BMW Museum. The headquarters has been located here since 1922. At that time, this location on the outskirts of Munich was not chosen by chance. There was an aircraft factory and airfield nearby, and the company produced aircraft engines and supplied them to airplane manufacturers.

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For the Munich Olympics in 1972, an Olympic Park was built on the site of the old airfield, including stadiums and other sports facilities. A skyscraper consisting of four cylindrical buildings with radial ribs resembling the core of an automobile engine was erected for the headquarters of the BMW Group.

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Classic Car Collection

For the 100th anniversary of the BMW brand, one of the old production halls where aircraft engines were once manufactured was restored. This building is recognized as a monument of industrial architecture. Since 2016, another museum exhibition, the BMW Group Classic, has been operating there. On the territory of 13,000 m², a collection of classic cars is exhibited, and an old assembly workshop with authentic equipment from the 20s and 30s of the last century has been recreated here. The building also houses an archive of technical documentation for cars and other company products, this segment is known as the BMW Group Archive.

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Practical information

All the tourist sites of the complex available for inspection have their own rules for visiting. Their opening hours also vary, with some locations not accepting tours every day.

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Tour of the BMW Museum

The BMW Museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, Monday is a day off. Opening hours are 10:00-18:00. The ticket office closes at 17:30. The ticket price for adults is 13 €, for parents with children a family ticket is offered for 29 €. A ticket for schoolchildren, students and pensioners costs 10 €.

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The cost of a group tour (20 people) is 190 €. For youth excursions the price is lower – 150 €. Excursions are conducted in German and English, the accompanying information at the stands is also presented in these languages. Formation of excursion groups ends at 16:30.

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The rules for visiting the museum are strict. You can visit the exposition on your own or as part of a guided tour. For guided tours, groups of 20-30 people are formed, group excursions are sent for inspection at an interval of 30 minutes. The duration of the excursion is 1 hour. Children under 14 years of age visit the BMW Museum only if accompanied by an adult. It is possible to move inside the building only within the marked passageways. The exhibits of the museum are very expensive, some are unique and have great historical and commercial value. It is forbidden to touch them. In case of damage or contamination of an exhibit, the visitor pays all costs, including activation of the security alarm system.

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Weapons and other dangerous objects may not be brought into the BMW Museum. For security reasons, coats, jackets and other outerwear must be left in individual lockers in the checkroom. The same requirement applies to bags, backpacks and bulky items (umbrellas, canes). Lockers are provided free of charge.

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Tour of the car factory

The BMW factory can be visited only on weekdays, from Monday to Friday, as part of a group tour (20-30 people). The total cost of such a tour is 240 €. Duration of the tour – 2 h. 30 min. This is a very popular destination, make reservations several weeks in advance. Children under 6 years old should not be taken on the tour – toddlers are not allowed in the factory for safety reasons.

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A visit to a vintage car showroom

Group tours (at least 20 people) of the BMW Group Classic Historic Car Showroom take place on Saturdays at 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00. Pre-registration for the group is required. Duration of the tour is 60 min. and the cost of the tour is 16 € per person, for children under 18 years old 13 €.

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Where to eat

In the BMW Museum building there is a café-restaurant “M1”. This institution is named in honor of the legendary model of the sports car that struck the world of motor racing in 1978. The restaurant has a summer terrace overlooking the Olympic Park. It offers light snacks, pastries and salads, coffee, tea, juices and other drinks. From 11:30 to 14:30 you can order a full lunch here. By German standards prices in the restaurant are not high. For example, Caesar salad with croutons will cost 7,80 €, breaded chicken with potato salad and vegetables – 10,80 €, a portion of fried Bavarian sausages with fries – 7,20 €. Vegetarian dishes are available – stewed vegetables, cheeses, pasta. Their cost does not exceed 7,80 €.

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Every seat at the tables is equipped with electrical outlets and USB sockets, so that diners can charge their smartphones and laptops during lunch.

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There are several other cafes, bistros and restaurants in the BMW World building, on the factory grounds and at the head office with roughly the same price level.

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Souvenirs

The BMW Museum building houses a large gift store. The most popular souvenir purchases are filigree models of cars and motorcycles built at the corporation’s factories during its century-long existence. The cost of such gifts is 10-20 €, although there are also collectible models much more expensive. For fans of BMW cars are colorful books and illustrated catalogs listing the characteristics of all models of these machines.

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How to get there

The address of the BMW Museum in Munich is Am Olympiapark, 2.

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From the center of Munich to the BMW Museum is the city bus number 59, go to the BMW Welt stop.

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From anywhere in Munich to the BMW Museum is easy to get by subway, on the line U-3, it is marked in orange on the diagrams. Get off at the Olympia Zentrum (Olympic Center) station. To the exit, follow the signs with the inscription BMW Welt, they are located on the subway platform. Further on you will be guided by the recognizable cylinder towers of the corporation’s headquarters.

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Attractions nearby

After visiting the BMW Museum, tourists don’t rush back to their hotels and head to the nearby Olympic Park to see the outstanding sports facilities built for the ’72 Olympics.

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Football fans will not miss the opportunity to visit the Allianz Arena, the home stadium of the famous Bayern Munich team. The soccer arena can be explored on its own or with a guided tour. On Sundays, fans enjoy the professional footballers of FC Bayern München.

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If you are interested in the history of transportation, science and technology, be sure to plan a visit to Munich’s Deutsches Museum on the Isar River, the world’s largest science and technology museum with unique exhibits. In the city there are several branches with thematic expositions. One of them presents a variety of vehicles – from the first cars and locomotives to modern means of transportation, here you can see the airship of Count Zeppelin and a combat submarine in section. In the Schleissheim Aviation Workshops, airplanes of all generations are on display.

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