German Museum

(Deutsches Museum), a museum in Munich, a major European museum. The German Museum was founded in 1903. It comprises three architectural complexes: an exhibition of science and technology; a library with 500, 000 volumes; and a building of halls, which includes a congress hall with 2, 500 seats and four small lecture halls. The museum’s total area is 90, 000 sq m. The purpose of the German Museum, according to its charter, is to study the historical development of the natural sciences, technology, and industry and to show their interrelationship. The museum has many valuable historical exhibits. There are collections for public display, for research access only, and for reserve holding. The exhibition of science and technology has unusual collections.

As of the early 1970’s the German Museum had sections of mining, metallurgy, metalworking, transportation, construction, navigation and shipbuilding, aviation technology, geodesy, physics, chemistry, astronomy, agricultural technology, optics, and photography. Some of the halls are reproductions of historical interiors; these halls include Galileo’s room, the laboratory of alchemy and the Lavoisier hall. A dairy and a pharmacy of the 18th century are also re-created, each having objects and furniture belonging to that period. There is also a model of a full-scale mine with working parts.

The exhibits at the German Museum are constantly updated. The museum has a planetarium and an observatory. A scientific research institute, set up at the museum to study the history of the natural sciences and technology, publishes series of publications, articles, monographs, and translations. Special exhibits on current topics are held periodically.