Exhibitions - Deutsches Museum

The history, present and future of land transport: a unique collection in a setting steeped in tradition

275Trains, cars, motorbikes, bicycles, carriages ...

12,000Square metres of exhibition space

3Listed exhibition halls

Our Topics:

Urban Transport

From the beginnings of motorised urban transport around 1900 to the present day.

Travel

How the development of automotive engineering and infrastructure changed travel.

Mobility and Technology

Innovations and technical tools that expanded the horizon of human movement.

In the historic exhibition halls on the Theresienhöhe, you can experience the development from historic transport to high-tech mobility. In three permanent exhibitions on mobility, travel and urban transport and a children's area, knowledge is conveyed in an exciting and understandable way.

Photo: Deutsches Museum | Christian Illing

Hall I – Urban Transport

The tour starts in Hall I in the urban transport area: a large road display leads from the present back to the time around 1900, showing public transport vehicles such as trams and buses, as well as many vehicles that brought individual mass transport onto the roads - such as bicycles, VW Beetles and Messerschmitt cabin scooters. Grouped around the display collection are themed islands, for example the traffic ABC with the historical signpost forest or safety and rescue. Crash vehicles are shown here, you can see how an airbag works or how a rescue chain works.

View of museum platform with Mitropa dining carriage. Photo: Deutsches Museum

Hall II - Travel

The exhibition in Hall II tells of the pleasures and burdens of travelling with its tour through the history of land transport. At the centre is a platform with locomotives and carriages surrounded by carriages and automobiles. They show the development of means of transport and the basic infrastructure. The trail leads from the travel-loving Romans to the package tour of the present day: past the first continental horse-drawn railway Hannibal, the S 3/6 express steam locomotive with mail and dining car, the Swiss rack railway, the Mercedes Simplex or the Tramp camping trailer to the Kässbohrer Setra panoramic bus.

Puffing Billy, Siemens electric locomotives and Serpolet steam cars represent the inventive spirit of the 19th century. Photo: Deutsches Museum

Hall III - Mobility and Technology

The theme of Hall III is the human urge to move and the technical means of travelling fast, far, safely and effectively. The exhibition ranges from accelerating on your own two feet - on historic bone skates or modern inline skates - to the development of cycling and motorsport with prominent racing cars such as the Audi Union Type C and the basics of vehicle physics. Unique exhibits such as the Benz Patent-Motorwagen or the "Puffing Billy" Steam Locomotive, which can be demonstrated, and a hands-on area bring the technology to life.

Museum beetles, moths, mould

Until 12 April 2026

It's not just the ravages of time

Museum beetles, moths, mould: bad enough in one’s own home – but a pest infestation in a museum is devastating. The travelling exhibition of the Natural History Museum Vienna presents common museum and household pests and illustrates how modern pest-control measures differ from historical ones. In addition, it presents new findings on the impact of climate change on pest-related challenges in museums.

More about the special exhibition

“Simply brilliant, great fun and very child-friendly.”

muenchen.de

Children and families

Our children's area

The children's area of the Verkehrszentrum offers space for discoveries! Here you can build, paint and play by yourself.

To the children's area

Currently in the programme

Special exhibitions

Discover the fascinating world of mobility: current and past special exhibitions at the Verkehrszentrum offer exciting insights into the history and future of mobility!

To the special exhibitions