The Geek Atlas

Germany

019

Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany

48° 7′ 48″ N, 11° 35′ 0″ E

The German Museum of Masterpieces of Natural Science and Technology

The Deutsches Museum is probably the largest science museum in the world. It opened in 1906 and sits in central Munich on an island in the middle of the river Isar. The main museum is complemented by two branch museums (both in Munich), one covering all aspects of flying (the “Flugwerft Schleißheim,” housed in an old military airbase north of the city center) and the other covering ground transportation (the “Verkehrszentrum,” situated close to the Theresienwiese where Oktoberfest takes place).

The main Deutsches Museum is simply enormous: it has 50,000 square meters of exhibition space, and around 28,000 objects are on display. On a sunny day, a visit to the museum should start in the main courtyard, where a human-powered sundial lets you tell the time: simply stand in the spot corresponding to the current month, and your shadow will tell you the time.

Entering the museum reveals its scale: one of the first exhibits you ...