Deutsches Museum Bonn

Bonn

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Did you know that the airbag and MP3 technology were invented in Germany? You will, after visiting the Deutsches Museum Bonn. This pint-size subsidiary of the blockbuster Munich mothership highlights German research and technology since WWII with plenty of buttons to push and knobs to pull.

The 100 or so exhibits highlight achievements in six scientific fields: physics, chemistry, biology, medical technology, ecology, and aviation and space travel. The museum is around 6km south of the city centre.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Interior Of Cologne Cathedral

    Kölner Dom

    18.64 MILES

    Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is…

  • Maria Laach Abbey, the west end with the paradisium, a narthex enclosing a garden. Maria Laach Abbey (iAbtei Maria Laach) is a Benedictine abbey situated on the southwestern shore of the Laacher See (Lake Laach), near Andernach, in the Eifel region of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany in July 2020.

    Abteikirche Maria Laach

    21.11 MILES

    Serenely tucked within beautiful Eifel countryside, Abteikirche Maria Laach is one of the finest examples of a Romanesque church in Germany. Part of a 900…

  • Römisch-Germanisches Museum

    Römisch-Germanisches Museum

    18.59 MILES

    Sculptures and ruins displayed outside the entrance are merely the overture to a full symphony of Roman artefacts found along the Rhine. Highlights…

  • Schloss Augustusburg

    Schloss Augustusburg

    13.82 MILES

    The favourite palace of archbishop and prince-elector Clemens August, Schloss Augustusburg is a precious rococo symphony designed by François Cuvilliés…

  • The house of birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn, Germany.

    Beethoven-Haus Bonn

    3.31 MILES

    Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments,…

  • Parts of the Berlin Wall and a Traband car can be seen during the reopening of the permanent exhibition at the 'Haus der Geschichte' (lit. 'House of History' in Bonn, Germany, 11 December 2017. Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa (Photo by Henning Kaiser/picture alliance via Getty Images)

    Haus der Geschichte

    1.81 MILES

    The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk…

  • Dokumentationsstätte Regierungsbunker

    Dokumentationsstätte Regierungsbunker

    11.45 MILES

    During the Cold War, there was no vast top-secret bunker complex bored into the Ahr Valley hillside – at least not officially. Now, however, you can see…

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Nearby Bonn attractions

1. Bundeskunsthalle

1.55 MILES

Adjoining the Kunstmuseum Bonn, the Bundeskunsthalle (Federal Art Hall) is another striking space that brings in blockbuster exhibits from around the…

2. Kunstmuseum Bonn

1.64 MILES

Beyond its dramatic foyer, the Kunstmuseum Bonn presents 20th-century works, especially by August Macke and other Rhenish expressionists, as well as such…

3. Haus der Geschichte

1.81 MILES

The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk…

4. Museum Koenig

2.2 MILES

The Museum Koenig is a natural history museum but it’s hardly your usual dead-animal zoo. The ‘Savannah’ exhibit re-creates an entire habitat with…

5. Arithmeum

2.89 MILES

If memories of math class give you nightmares, this museum may not be for you. If they don't, you may well find this expansive collection of mechanical…

6. Kurfürstliches Schloss

3.11 MILES

The palatial 1705 Kurfürstliche Residenz was once the immodest home of the prince-electors of Cologne and has been part of Bonn’s university since 1818…

7. Nibelungenhalle

3.12 MILES

The 1913 Nibelungenhalle is a temple-like shrine to the composer Richard Wagner, decorated with scenes from his opera cycle Ring of the Nibelungen. Part…

8. Altes Rathaus

3.17 MILES

Overlooking the triangular Markt square, the rococo Altes Rathaus absolutely glistens with silver and gold trim. Politicians from Charles de Gaulle to…