Mercedes-Benz Museum

How the car learned to walk: the Mer- cedes-Benz Museum tells the visionary history of the automobile from its very beginnings through to the future. For the founding fathers of today’s Daimler AG, Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, both in- vented the automobile in the year 1886 independently of each other.

Over 16,500 square metres, some 160 vehicles from the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection can be seen, complemented by around 1,500 fascinating exhibits. On the journey through the origins of Daimler, photos and their explanations sort the marque’s history into its historical context. The route through the museum leads to an outlook on mobility for the coming generations and thus concludes the span of the exhibition concept. Because the future needs a past – and the Mercedes-Benz Museum graphically visualises how the marque is rooted in its history.

The route through the exhibition starts with the invention of the automobile. All epochs and subjects unfold from there, switching between Legend and Collection rooms as desired. Seven Legend rooms chronologically outline the development of the Mercedes-Benz marque. The visitor encounters automobile legends such as the oldest surviving Mer- cedes from 1902, the breathtakingly elegant Kompressor vehicles of the 1920s and ’30s or the celebrated “sports car of the century”, the 300 SL with gull-wing doors. The outlook changes from the past into the future. Vehicles with optimised combustion engine, electric drive or fuelcell technology are possible answers to the question of the propulsion techno- logy of tomorrow. Five Collection rooms put specific themes in the foreground. Fire vehicles, omnibuses or taxis as well as vehicles previously owned by famous celebrities are representative of the large portfolio. The conclusion of the tour is the spectacular staging of a sharp curve with races and records from 120 years of motor sport tradition as well as the Fascination of Technology area with re- search vehicles and original designs from the design process at Mercedes-Benz.

At the end of their journey down the ages, the shop and restaurant invite visitors to linger. From here, it is just a few steps to the modern vehicles of the marque in the Mercedes-Benz Center Stuttgart. A visit is always a memorable experience. No matter whether you dwell on the past, present or future – there is lots to discover.