BMW Museum Munich
If one says Munich, one says Beer, Bretzels, Oktoberfest and of course BMW. BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works for the English version), the icon of Munich’s powerful industry.
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Every car manufacturer that has a history and a legacy needs to have a museum and BMW does not make an exception to this rule. A few days ago I visited the museum and now I want to share with you some impressions. I would recommend anyone who travels to Munich to take some hours and learn a little about this symbol.
The museum lies next to the BMW headquarters, the 4-cylinder building in Munich, very close to the Olympia Park, where the Olympic Summer Games took place in 1972. The museum opened its gates in 1973.
The for the 70' futuristic-looking building is called by the locals Salatschüssel or Weißwurstkessel meaning salad bowl or weißwurst kettle, which are also references to local food. I think the description fits the shape. I would have called it a concrete UFO but the local reference is much better.
The concept of going up in a spiral is a reverse concept of the concept used in the Solomon-R.-Guggenheim-Museums in New York, where one goes down in a spiral. The spiral is to be seen in the round building. A newer wing of the museum has been opened in 2008, which does not follow the spiral concept. The total exhibition surface is spread over 25000 m² or 270000 ft² for the imperial unit’s user.
BMW has a 101 years history. The company started with the production of motors for planes. They've sold over 2000 engines. Also had a world record for the highest altitude reached in flight in 1919 with a height of 9760 m (32000 ft). The end of World War I endangered the company as Germany was not allowed to produce plane motors for 5 years. BMW did not follow through as motors have been delivered also in 1920.
In 1923 BMW added a new product, the motorcycle, with the first model the R32 which took only 5 weeks to design and the concept is the one used today in most motorcycles. It is amazing to be able to see the turning points that defined history so close.
You might wonder when the start manufacturing cars? Not that soon. BMW added motors for motor boats as a new product first.
In 1928 history as we know it took its turn. BMW acquired the car manufacturer Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach and started their automotive production.
It took them less than 10 years to enter the motorsport. In 1937 the model 328 appeared which had groundbreaking technologies incorporated. The car won the legendary race Mille Miglia in 1940 and was the start of BMW motorsport history. The car is a marvellous piece of engineering.
I was so curious about what lies under the hood and asked BMW Museum employee to lift it. The 2.0 l straight-6 OHC engine is looking marvellous. Everything was made to fit together. There is a leather insulation for the hood to keep out noise and vibration. Inside there is also a leather toolbox which is easy to access. You might see a hammer with the head out of copper which is used to change the wheels.
In this picture, there is the history of the 3 series. From the first model, the first convertible one to the series before the actual one.
These cars represent, maybe the most powerful letter in the world M. If you say M, you say power and BMW at the same time.
And here comes the power from the previous cars. In this room, one can choose to hear the sound of every engine and also see the concept behind.
Besides the usual exhibition, there is always also a short one on a specific theme. I was surprised to see the Kings' BMW 507. Elvis bought it when he was doing his military service in Bavaria. By the way, Germany is the only country where Elvis had a concert outside the USA.
The car was thought to be lost, but it was found in a very bad condition. BMW managed to restore it to its initial glance.
The whole process and history are covered in this Elvis and Rock'n'Roll themed part of the museum.
Elvis was not the only artist who had contact with BMW. Andy Warhol designed the print for this 1979 M Art Concept car.
The Bond Z8 is also present. It is the actual car that was used in the movie The World Is Not Enough.
I hope that I opened you the taste to come to Munich and visit this museum. I would be glad to answer any question in the comments.
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