Mercedes-Benz Museum
The museum building
The current building, which stands directly outside the main gate of the Daimler factory in Stuttgart, was designed by UN Studio. It is based on a unique cloverleaf concept using three overlapping circles with the center removed to form a triangular atrium recalling the shape of a Wankel engine. The building was completed and opened on 19 May 2006. Architecture and exhibition concept are closely interwoven, as exhibition designer HG Merz had already been commissioned before the architecture competition in 2001.
The building's height and "double helix" interior were designed to maximise space, providing 16,500 square metres (178,000 sq ft) of exhibition space on a footprint of just 4,800 square metres (52,000 sq ft). The double helix also corresponds to the exhibition concept, which divides the museum into the "legend rooms" and the "collections", offering two alternative tours that can be merged at any given point of the museum.
The museum contains more than 160 vehicles, some dating back to the very earliest days of the motorcar engine. The vehicles are maintained by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center of Fellbach. Previously, the museum was housed in a dedicated building within the factory complex and visitors had in recent decades been transported from the main gate by a secured shuttle.
Other details
The museum provides visitors with free audio tours in a variety of languages. In 2023, the museum was visited by 800,245 people.
Visitors are also offered the opportunity to take a tour of the nearby Untertürkheim engine factory. The factory produces many of the company's diesel engines.
Gallery
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A McLaren SLR near the museum shop, 2008
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Mercedes-Benz Formel-Rennwagen W25
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Side view
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Mercedes Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
See also
- Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz
- List of automobile museums
- Mercedes-Benz World
- Museum for Historical Maybach Vehicles
Further reading
- Merz, HG (2006). Buy Me a Mercedes-Benz: The Book of the Museum. Barcelona: Actar. ISBN 9788496540378.
- Vieweg, Christof (2021). Holy Halls: The secret vehicle collection of Mercedes-Benz. Bielefeld, Germany: Delius Klasing. ISBN 9783667118028.
- Mercedes-Benz Museum. Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH.
References
- ^ "UN Studio", Architecture Magazine, mapolis.com, September 13, 2011, archived from the original on May 30, 2015.
- ^ "Berlin Journal, German, 24 April 2008". Stuttgart-journal.de. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "Guided Tours". Mercedes-Benz web site.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- Mercedes-Benz Museum at Automuseums
- Mercedes Benz Museum at FIA Heritage Museums