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TRANSPORT MUSEUM DRESDEN
Verkehrs Museum in the Johanneum
I
had passed it more than once, wandering among the Baroque splendor
of old Dresden.
A sign indicated the Verkehrs Museum within an alleyway
between the iconic Frauenkirch and the treasures of the Zwinger (see
Museums
of the Zwinger), apparently
a bit of construction going on. Following a group of excited school
kids, found myself in the transportation museum of Dresden. Housed
in
the Johanneum, just off the Neumarkt Square first built as the stables
for the royal palace in 1586, from the German Renaissance it is the
oldest exhibition building in Dresden named for Saxony's King John,
used in
succession as a coach house, armory and art museum. The collection
of trains, planes
and
automobiles on display since 1952 is one of the more unique in Germany.
The Transport Museum
in Dresden while not quite as extensive as some others like Berlin
(see Technik
Museum Berlin) or Munich (see Deutches
Museum Aviation) combines all modes of vehicles under one roof with sections
on trolley cars and steam engines, motorcyles and cars, air flight, and
models railways. The examples in Dresden have a particularly East German
flavor from its years in the GDR. The tram and trolley cars which once
rumbled along the tracks of the Saxony Baroque capital of Dresden are
especially fascinating, including the oldest existing electric tramcar
from 1895, a famous tram from the 1930s, the “Großer Hecht”,
and a royal sedan chair from 1705, the oldest in the museum. One exhibit
popular with kids allows a drive at the controls in the cab of a trolley
car through the streets of 1920s Dresden, provided by a silent movie
from the Hirsh movie archive, a city which was much changed by the bombs
of the Second World War (see Our Lady Frauenkirche).
The Railway
section exhibits present important stages of Saxon and German national
railway
history, including the oldest German steam locomotive
preserved in its original state, the “Muldenthal” from 1861
and the world’s strongest traction engine of its time the “Torso” electric
locomotive from 1924, and “Saxon IV” narrow gauge steam tank
locomotive from 1898. The Road Traffic exhibit mainly offers cars from
Saxony and Thuringia, presenting the development of utility vehicles
in Eastern Europe, with 190 years of bicycles like the Penny-farthing “Dresden” from
around 1888 and rare motorcycles. Of special interest are the first German
air-cooled truck “4 RL” from 1927, the three-wheeled “Phänomobil” from
1924 and the three-seater motorcycle the “Böhmerland”.
The Aviation section is a little limited with an overview of ballooning
and air transport shipping, with a focus on the GDR from 1955 to 1961.
A replica of the 1894 Lilienthal Glider hangs from the ceiling above
the first German commercial aircraft jet engine built in Dresden for
the East German aviation industry which never really got to the west.
The Shipping exhibition mostly covers a thousand years of inland shipping
on the Elbe River with model ships, map globes and navigation instruments.
A special
attraction for kids is the O-gauge model railway layout covering over
300 square meters, one of the largest model railways of its scale
in Europe (see Loxx
Model Railway Berlin).
There is also a LEGO site in the museum with other fun and creative play
activities, a transport library and archive, but these are in German.
Visiting the Verkehrs Museum Dresden
The museum is right
in the historic old city center at the Neumarkt Square across from
the Frauenkirch, just look for the mural of the parade
of Dresden’s medieval royal personages. The Museum is open Tuesday
to Sunday from 10 to 6pm, closed on Mondays. © Bargain
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Verkehrsmuseum Dresden
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See Also:
CITY NIGHT LINE - GERMAN SLEEPER TRAIN
SOPHIENKELLER - BAROQUE THEME RESTAURANT
DRESDEN CITY & SOCCER STADIUM GUIDE
RAILWAY MUSEUM DARMSTADT-KRANICHSTEIN
TECHNIK MUSEUM SPEYER - PLANES, TRAINS & SUBMARINES
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