The History of the Deutsches Museum

May 7th

Oskar von Miller is born. He is the youngest son and one of the 15 children of the head of the Royal Ore Foundry in Munich, Ferdinand von Miller.

Autumn

Oskar von Miller describes the idea for a technology museum for the first time in a letter to his wife Marie.

May 1st

Oskar von Miller sends out a circular with the aim of founding a museum association. The addressees are well-known personalities from science and industry such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Carl von Linde, Hugo von Maffei and Rudolf Diesel.

May 5th

A "provisional committee" of the association is formed, under which 260,000 marks are donated.

June 28th

On the fringes of the general meeting of the Association of German Engineers (VDI), the founding meeting of the "Association of the Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology" takes place in Munich. Prince Ludwig and Emperor Wilhelm II are won over as patrons.

Summer

The magistrate of the city of Munich makes part of the old coal island in the Isar available as building land (see painting by Désiré Thomassin-Renhardt) for a new museum building to be erected. The collections are based on donations from industry and the transfer of the collection of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

Spring

Naming into „Deutsches Museum“

Summer

Architect Gabriel von Seidl wins the tender for the exhibition building on the Museum Island. (The design drawing dates from 1907)

November 12th

In the presence of Emperor Wilhelm II, the provisional exhibitions of the Deutsches Museum are presented on a total area of around 5000 square metres in the Altes Nationalmuseum on Maximilianstraße (today the Museum Five Continents is located there).

On the first 25 days of the exhibition, more than 26,000 paying visitors and 4,000 museum members come to the provisional exhibitions. There is a special ticket offer for school classes: 15 tickets for one mark.

November 13th

Laying of the foundation stone for the museum on the "Coal Island" in the presence of the Emperor.

December

This year, the Deutsches Museum has already had 211,000 visitors.

Spring

Opening of the library and plan collection on Maximilianstraße.

January 1st

Opening of Department II as a branch office in the former Schwere-Reiter barracks on Zweibrückenstraße (on the grounds of the German Patent Office). This makes a total of 10,000 square metres of space.

January 14th

Start of construction work for the new museum building.

October 5th

Topping-out ceremony for the new exhibition building.

August 6th

Closure of the branch in the Schwere-Reiter barracks due to the outbreak of war.

May

Planned opening of the exhibition building; postponed to 1916.

All Year

Due to the First World War, construction work on the exhibition building is interrupted. The picture shows the construction site in 1917.

September 18th

Closure of Department I in the old National Museum in the course of preparations for the move to the new museum building.

October 21st

Public premiere of the first projection planetarium on Earth on Museum Island.

May 5th

Procession through the city.

May 7th

On Oskar von Miller's 70th birthday, the exhibition building is opened - initially on around 23,000 square metres, later the exhibition space is expanded to around 40,000 square metres. In the year of the opening, 787,523 visitors come.

May 7th

Opening of the first floor with 30 new rooms.

September 4th

Laying of the foundation stone for the library and hall building (Congress Hall).

May 7th

Topping-out ceremony for the library and hall building (Congress Hall). The picture shows the construction site in 1929.

May 7th

Opening of the library building.

May 7th

Oskar von Miller retires from the museum management.

April 9th

Oskar von Miller dies of a heart attack.

May 7th

Opening of the Congress Hall.

May 7th

Inauguration of the car hall.

Autumn

[Translate to English:]

The exhibition "The Eternal Jew" is shown in the library building.

May 7th

Opening of the new departments "Motor Vehicles" and "Road Construction and Reich Motorways" in the car hall.

April 24th/25th

Large fire in the library building caused by incendiary bombs.

July

After several air raids with direct hits, the museum is closed down.

January 7th/8th

The last bombs hit Museum Island.

May

At the end of the war, around 80 per cent of the buildings are destroyed, and the exhibits have also suffered considerable damage.

December

Provisional reopening of the library.

January

The Congress Hall is put back into operation. Under the name "Jubilee Hall", it serves as the venue for the first events after the war.

October 25th

The special show "50 Years of Diesel Engines" marks the start of exhibition activities again.

May 8th

Reconstitution of the museum bodies.

November 23rd

The Patent Office moves into the library building (until 1958).

May

Opening of the high-voltage demonstration facility.

May 7th

50th anniversary of the museum. Approximately one third of the collections have been rebuilt.

May

25,000 square metres of exhibition space are open again (with Chemistry, Power Machines and Hall of Honour).

May

The exhibition space is back to pre-war levels.

November 23rd

The number of visitors exceeds the million mark for the first time.

May 7th

Laying of the foundation stone for the aviation and astronautics hall.

March 21st

Fire in the Marine Navigation exhibition.

May 6th

Opening of the new aviation and astronautics hall (with Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Bavaria's Primeminister Franz Josef Strauß).

September 12th

Opening of the Flugwerft Schleißheim.

November 5th

Opening of the "Forum of Technology" in the former Congress Hall.

August 13th

First web presence of the Deutsches Museum.

November 3rd

Opening of the Deutsches Museum Bonn.

May 11th

Ceremony for the 100th anniversary.

Opening of the Verkehrszentrum transport museum on the Theresienhöhe in Munich (initially only Hall III).

October 20th

Opening of Halls I and II of the Verkehrszentrum transport museum.

December

Starting signal: The Future Initiative is launched by Federal President Horst Köhler.

November 19th

Opening of the Centre for New Technologies on Museum Island.

October

Start of the general renovation of the exhibition building on Museum Island.

September 17th

Opening of the Deutsches Museum Nürnberg.