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After a construction period of around two and a half years, BMW will once
again be opening the doors to the BMW Museum on 19th June 2008.
A major
architectural and design redevelopment has extended the exhibition space
fivefold to more than 5,000 sq. m.
Following this new-concept rebuild, its trademark remains the so-called
“museum bowl” – the unique, world-famous construction by Viennese architect Karl
Schwanzer that dates back to 1973.
Along with the BMW Welt Experience and Delivery Centre and the BMW plant
tour, the BMW Museum adjacent to the Group’s headquarters provides a unique
brand experience at the Munich location. Two days after its ceremonial
inauguration, the Museum will be open to the public again from 21st June.
Brand museum
The New BMW Museum is a brand museum that showcases the historical evolution
of the brand’s competence and innovative strength, along with its achievements
and sporting successes.
The development of the BMW brand is traced from the past to the present and
on into the future. At the core of the exhibition material are such icons of
BMW’s product history as the BMW R 32, the BMW 507 and the legendary BMW 2002.
Some 120 exhibits, encompassing production and racing models as well as
concept vehicles, bear eloquent testimony to the thrilling history of the BMW
brand.
Featured themes range from design and engine construction to
advertising, aerodynamics and motorsport.
Exceptional exhibition technology underlines the aspiration of the Museum’s
new concept: “Once again BMW is setting new trends and embarking on untrodden
paths to link up the history of its vehicles with that of the company in an
exciting and surprising way. Quite simply, fascination and passion is what it’s
all about,” says Karl Baumer, Director of BMW Group Mobile Tradition.
Architecture
The extension of the BMW Museum into the neighbouring low-rise building has
allowed the exhibition area to swell to five times its former size.
Karl
Schwanzer’s architectural philosophy is further pursued in the newly claimed
spaces: in addition to streets and squares, bridges and houses appear within a
built-up space.
The upshot is an urban architecture, a kind of “traffic complex” composed of
the fundamental constituents of the automotive environment. Visitors will
discover enclosed and open exhibition spaces, a configuration of ramps, numerous
detailed views and broad vistas, and a series of ever-changing perspectives that
will take them by surprise.
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