BMW – the Bayerischen Motoren Werke are definitely one of the most famous companies of Munich and a synonym for German powerful and comfortable cars. The company is still based in the Bavarian capital. Nowadays, they drive any kind of facility you nowadays need to “feel” BMW. Apart from a place which allows you to grab your new BMW car right from the factory grounds, one of the key sights is the BMW Museum. Here is the review of my visit of the place.
BMW Museum – Location & Admission
The BMW Museum and the BMW factory grounds are located Northeast of the Olympiapark, Munich Olympic Park. The sporting facilities, Sea Life Munich and the Olympic Tower are some of the sights around. The more lifestyle-driven BMW Welt is across the road from the museum. There are some parking facilities around. By public transport, I would recommend Olympiazentrum (underground lines U3, U8). The same lines also serve Petuelring, which is about the same distance. Right in front of the museum, bus line 173 stops at Olympiapark Eissportstadion (Olympic Ice Arena).
Adult admission to the museum is 10 Euro. There are multiple discounts, including BMW Card members. The museum is opening daily apart from Mondays from 10:00 to 18:00 hrs.
BMW Museum – Main Exhibition
From the very first steps of your visit, the BMW Museum feels very modern, almost futuristic. It has a clear design. Practically all signs are in German and English and there are clear directions. Other languages can be covered by audio guide. There is a bit of a chronological route, but the museum is rather split into different topics like design, company history or technology. BMW motorbikes and BMW motor sports have their own dedicated sections. However, you also pass other BMW products like aviation engines.
A display of motorbikes is one of the first impressive views of the museum. In the same area, you also run into engines of all kinds, including motor sports and jet engines.Even though your walk through the car manufacturer’s history is not strictly along time, you more and more feel how complete your picture of BMW history is getting. That also includes that you run into models and prototypes as well as iconic cars like the Isetta.
One thing I also liked very much is the way the museum is dealing with the BMW history during the German Nazi government times. There is quite a major dedicated space to name the impact and the profit the company took of forced labor. There is a dedicated section in the museum just about this topic. Thereafter, I passed a bunch of sports cars, majorly the BMW M series.
BMW Museum – Temporary Exhibition
The spiral-alike walk up the museum featured a temporary exhibition about climate change and sustainability. Some parts felt a bit too much like marketing, but overall, it had some interesting facts. The temporary display has been very interactive, which made it quite suitable for younger visitors (teenagers) as well.
BMW Museum – Services
There is a nice BMW Cafe and a souvenir store. The store is having quite a range of items. If that’s not enough for you, especially in regards of fashion, you might also want to take a look into the facilities of the BMW Welt / BMW World. The cafe is driven by the Käfer company and thus offers good food for above average pricing.
BMW Museum – My View
The BMW Museum is not as large as it might feel from outside, but they actually do a really nice job. I had a very educative and enjoyable listen in a nicely designed place. You do learn a lot about the brand. However, compared to peers like the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, BMW is lacking a bit. Nonetheless, if you are a car nerd, this is one of the places to go on your next Munich trip.
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