German Museum of Technology in Berlin

The new permanent exhibition Rail Transport: “Railroad: Revolution and Everyday Life"

Technical info

Client:

German Museum of Technology in Berlin (Deutsches Technikmuseum)

Location:

Berlin, Germany

Exhibition area:

6000 m2

Year:

2024

Scope of work:

Manufacturing of exhibition, fit-out, installation, project management.

Interior architecture:

Duncan McCauley

https://technikmuseum.berlin

About

The exhibition is housed in the Anhalter Bahnhof locomotive sheds. The recovered artifacts and exhibits feel perfectly at home inside the atmosphere of this space. The presentation of the permanent exhibition on rail transport has remained almost unchanged since the 1980s.

However, the demands and expectations for the safety and accessibility of a museum have changed fundamentally.

Highlight

Exhibition showcases unique historical objects, including an 1843 open passenger car, remnants of an 1825 English railway, and a 16th-century wooden railway.

Notable additions include a double-decker horse-drawn tram from 1865, highlighting Berlin's past rail network. Electric railway history, represented by the ET 183 05 railcar, is also featured, emphasizing emissions-free mobility.

Balancing the demands for safely handling historical exhibits and spaces while meeting the expectations of visitors for an accessible and immersive museum experience, is almost never an easy task. Seeing the history of railroad come to life inside the locomotive sheds was the ultimate highlight for us.

Focus

The goal was to attract more people to learn about the history of transportation in Berlin. Our main focus was on the technical aspects of delivering sophisticated constructions and details to highly complicated fit-out structures.