Museum of Technology: The Grandiose Warehouses

Dr Julien Drouart
May 17
4 min read

Musée des Techniques à Berlin : les entrepôts grandioses

Berlin's Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum) is a gigantic exhibition space brimming with thousands of objects and vehicles of all kinds on the trail of technical genius. Let's set off on a journey of discovery in a perfectly thought-out setting.

A Visit to the Museum of Technology Is a Must. It Is Also a Personal Favorite.

The fruit of capitalism, the industrial revolution of the 19th century powerfully transformed human societies. Factories reshaped cities, and machines redefined lifestyles and beliefs. Technical progress facilitated the movement of goods and people, laying the foundations for a global, interconnected world. Admittedly, machines are functional objects whose usefulness depends on need. But they are part of a long scientific process in which innovation is constantly rethought. Consequently, industrial relics are objects of memory, reflections of an era.

The Museum of Technology in Berlin aims to preserve industrial and technical heritage in a dedicated space that will be open to the public. It occupies part of the facilities of the Anhlater Bahnhof, the former freight station on the border of the Mitte and Kreuzberg districts. Founded in 1983 as the Museum of Transport and Technology, it underwent a profound restructuring after German reunification, gaining in surface area and accumulating several thousand more industrial objects.

Today, the museum is one of the most impressive cultural spaces in the German capital. It also includes an annex, the Spectrum Museum, a veritable city of science and an interactive complex dedicated to physical, optical and acoustic experiments.

Les locomotives à vapeur au Musée des Techniques à Berlin.

Promoting Industrial Heritage

The Museum of Technology in Berlin is made up of three main areas: the newly inaugurated museum, the former depot of the railway station and an outdoor area. The modern building is an architectural feat, with breathtaking interiors. At the top of the building hangs an American airplane that helped supply West Berlin during the Soviet blockade in 1948/49. The effect is as striking from the street as it is from the top of the building. This modernity rubs shoulders with the industrial vestiges, with a superb complementarity between new and rehabilitated spaces.

The exhibits are diversified, embracing all the industrial and technical genius of humankind. Some themes are more didactic, more academic, such as the modules devoted to printing, clothing and, more recently, computers and genetics. Nevertheless, the museography is dynamic, colorful and perfectly calibrated, making for a highly enjoyable visit. Above all, particular care has been taken to ensure that the information given is intelligible and accessible to all, despite the obvious complexity of certain processes.

Navigation and aeronautics, among the most important collections, can be discovered in a breathtaking vertical ascent. Authentic aircraft are stacked one on top of the other, occupying the entire space over a height of some one hundred meters. Walkways on different levels offer views of this incredible festival of colors and shapes. Within this gigantic space, more intimate corridors have been created to delineate the different eras and techniques. The third major collection is devoted to rail transport in the old sheds. The stage is now horizontal, and visitors pass through vast sheds housing dozens of locomotives and wagons, including the famous imperial saloon.

Finally, the outdoor section occupies the former marshalling yard facilities, with locomotive turntables and storage tracks. These are complemented by two pretty windmills and watermills, giving this corner of greenery the picturesque allure of a delightful village. In this rural setting, playgrounds and picnic areas have been laid out for children and adults alike.

Appareils militaires au Musée des Techniques à Berlin.

An Example of Generosity and Foresight

The Museum of Technology in Berlin is an extraordinary success story. Its commitment to preserving industrial heritage is a model of foresight, and it is already part of the German capital's classical pantheon, alongside the Pergamon Museum and the New Museum. Its architecture is an intelligent blend of modernity and rehabilitated ensembles, with a perfect use of space. In this sense, its outlook is irrevocably turned towards the future and future generations.

The effects of grandeur are astonishing, and the vertical museography is particularly daring, even to the point of confusing visitors. However, the museum is not without its faults. On the one hand, the jolts of a political education seem rather unwelcome. This is the case with the exhibition of a wagon from the deportation of Jews during the Second World War: a misplaced and badly exploited souvenir. On the other hand, the absence of informative notices in certain places and the lack of translation may irritate visitors, particularly international ones.

Nevertheless, these criticisms are not prohibitive. The grandiose visuals are a spectacle in themselves. The warehouses and exhibition halls become places of passage, spaces of exploration and discovery that visitors pass through on a long cultural walk that continues with a return to nature via the outdoor park. The Spectrum Museum adds real value to this already glowing picture, to the delight of young and old alike.