Top Things to do in Baden-Wurttemberg
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Things to do in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany: The Best Museums
Discover the best top things to do in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany including Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stiftung Museum AUTOVISION, Jewelry Museum, Schwarzwalder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof, Augustiner Museum, Porsche Museum, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Residenzschloss Ludwigsburg, ZKM | Zentrum fuer Kunst und Medien, Zeppelin Museum.
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1. Mercedes-Benz Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8,161 reviews
The Museum celebrates the automobile invented by Carl Benz in 1886: it relates its history and tells its stories, bringing both alive by placing them in the context of technology, day-to-day life, social history and popular culture. More than 160 vehicles of all types are the main protagonists. They range from some of the oldest automobiles ever built to legendary racing cars and futuristic research vehicles. Together with other exhibits, they form the centrepiece of the permanent exhibition covering a total of 16,500 square metres in twelve rooms. This unparalleled world can be discovered on two tours that follow a 'Legend' and 'Collection' narrative.
Reviewed By swiftblink - Gartringen, Germany
A mazing museum of automotive history, brilliantly laid out in a logical fashion with very good information relating to world history as you start from the top at the beginning and work your way down to the present at the bottom. Lots to see and some great photo opportunities. Take plenty of time. 2hours at least. The shop at the end of museum is good but a bit pricey. And we were lucky, in front of museum was a classic car meeting that day. Many american muscle cars to see.
2. Stiftung Museum AUTOVISION
3. Jewelry Museum
4. Schwarzwalder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 664 reviews
In the Black Forest Open Air Museum Vogtsbauernhof the Black Forest culture and history come to life. Visitors will find out how people lived and worked in Black Forest farmhouses during the last 400 years. As well as six fully-furnished farmhouses from different parts of the Black Forest, the visitors will find a labourer's cottage and about 15 outbuildings, such as mills, sawmills, storehouses, a distillery and a chapel, fields, kitchen gardens and a herb garden. The museum presents the many different faces of life in the Black Forest: its architecture, traditions, customs and trades, and the way people lived and farmed throughout the ages. Daily Events: Daily craftsmen demonstrations: Museum visitors are invited to witness traditional crafts. Mill demonstration: Daily at 11.00 am, 12.30 am and 2.00 Pm. Museum workshop for families: Here, under expert guidance, the museum guests can make various different pieces and objects, from key hooks to lanterns and hardwood baskets.
Reviewed By retireeVancouver - Vancouver, Canada
This fantastic open-air museum shows the house styles, the cultural habits, and the way of living in the Black Forest from the start of the 1600s to the end of the 1700s. The collection of farm and craft buildings come from the southern, central, northern regions of the Black Forest. There are about 10 houses to visit and numerous smaller buildings used for special purposes like a communal bakehouse, a blacksmith shop, a distillery, and various sheds for a saw mill and grinding mills. There even was a retirement home for aging parents. The houses are separated, spaciously, on the property with log fences encircling gardens or grassy areas. Visitors follow the pea gravel paths to reach each building. Take the brochure at the ticket office that shows the layout of the buildings on the property. It becomes evident, then, that the houses from south and central BF are clustered together near the Visitor's Center while the northern section with its one building has room for expansion. If time is limited skip that isolated house. The brochure also has general information about the times that certain demonstrations are given - mill, trade and craft demos. There are plenty of information boards on the property - in 4 languages - but an audioguide (4E, English, German, French) is also available at the ticket office. This map of the property can be downloaded from their website prior to visiting. We used about 1 1/2 -2 hours, but visitors should allow about half a day in order to have time to watch the various craft demos and to walk to the one building at the far right edge of the property. We focused on visiting the buildings clustered together in the area of the Visitor's Center. The only thing that this property might improve on is listing the exact location of the demos, especially the crafts; otherwise they have done a fantastic job in preserving and informing visitors about a life style very foreign to me. Admission is 10E. The houses are wood constructions and have thatched roofs that are wider than the frame of the house. The houses vary in size from a small laborer's cottage (still lived in to 1993) to a huge 3-4 level building. The houses didn't have basements. The ground floor was used as a barn for animals, the second level was used for accommodations, and the third level - a loft - for storage. Things stored included farm equipment, carriages. It was also a good area to dry and store herbs and nuts. One house even had its own small grind stone to mill flour from grains. Another used this area as a shoe shop while another used it for basket weaving. Different levels in the house were accessed by stairs, sometimes ladders. If the house had been built into a hillside, an exterior ramp was used to access the loft. That house had been on the property, while the other houses had been brought to the property dismantled, and, then, rebuilt, Each home was furnished according to its time period. Kitchens had home-made wood tables and benches. Ceramic fireplaces warmed the living area, but had no chimneys. Smoke flowed through the house resulting in black walls. Sleigh beds were made up with rustic woven bedding and had a night pot underneath the bed. A baby's crib would be placed in the parent's room, but other children seemed to have separate bedrooms from the parents. Windows were very small openings so that even on a sunny day it was relatively dark inside the rooms. It amazes me that chores like cooking and sewing were done in the dim light. In one house the people must have been literate as there was a very old hymnal, prayer book, and bible on display. Don't miss the modern Black Forest house (1980) at the rear of the property. It is such a contrast in its furnishings to those of centuries ago even though there is a similarity in style. I loved the 2 rooms for teens with beds unmade, computer on the desk, and a sign on the door that said, "Don't disturb". This building had WC and patio tables for refreshments. Every home had an information board on which the layout of the house was drawn, and facts about its original location, date constructed, owners, and the use of the rooms. These signs were in 4 languages. Other information on the boards may be about cultural and inheritance practices. For example, a family would pass the farm onto the youngest child and the elderly parents would be re-located into a house of their own. Such a retirement house was on the property. It had about 3 rooms. The children and parents had a contract which laid out the terms of when and how much the children would give to the parents for their maintenance. If a daughter wasn't married by the age of 25, she was sent to a nunnery. The eldest son had to leave the farm to make his own way - farming with in-laws, the army, priesthood. i enjoyed seeing the gardens and reading the information boards about what was grown. The herb garden was necessary for survival as there were no doctors nearby to provide either diagnoses or medicines. The farmers were self-reliant and grew herbs they knew would relieve colds or improve blood circulation. It was interesting to see which herbs were grown to cure various ailments - all labelled, of course. The trades buildings were grouped together. I could relate easily to this type of work and equipment needed as there is a commonality about blacksmith's shops (had a really big bellows on display), saw mills (crank operated though), grinding mills for making oils (hemp was a popular plant for this use), and an outdoor bake house. I didn't notice many animals about the place, except for a rabbit hutch and chicken pen. There may have been sheep further out in fields at the edge of the property. Children seem to be drawn to animals and the group of school children visiting, I'm sure, had no difficulty finding them. Another highlight of our tour was a baker giving us a demo of putting together a Black Forest cake step by step. After, we went into the cafe to eat a slice of that cake along with coffee - about 8E. The restaurant in the Visitor's center is large enough to handle a crowd. Order from a menu; table service. The gift shop includes literature about the area. Unfortunately, for women on bus tours, there is a long wait for WC in the Visitor's Center as there are just a few stalls (my only complaint). The large parking area is about a 5 minute walk from the Visitor's Center. There are local food stalls selling hot foods, ice cream, BF cake and coffee along that walk (fish and chips 7E, BF cake 4.50E, Coffee 2.80E, sausage in a bun 4E). Note that the BF railway has a stop at this attraction. There is a pedestrian passageway under those tracks to get from the parking lot to the Visitor's center. Scenic River Cruises arranged our excursion to this attraction. It was very worthwhile.
5. Augustiner Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 261 reviews
Reviewed By melanch
Outstanding collection of medieval art, helpful and polite staff. Daniel Mauch panels are fabulous, anyone interested in limewood sculpture should visit
6. Porsche Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,600 reviews
Reviewed By nilesbutton - Bristol, United Kingdom
if you love cars, this is the museum for you! I wish I could drive every car here. Iconic design Porsche is the most pure sports car ever in the history of cars! old too new, they have everything on display and the design of the museum itself is a testament to Porsche and its purity in the car world.
7. Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 112 reviews
Discover the Kunsthalle Karlsruhe: A wide panorama of artworks spanning 800 years. The Kunsthalle Karlsruhe was one of the first museum buildings in Germany and is one of the very few to have largely retained its original design.
Reviewed By periandro - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
The Karlsruhe Staatliche Kunsthalle is an important museum in Germany which houses plenty of works of art some of which constitute real masterpieces. Works having stemmed from worldwide famous brushes, such as Canaletto, Rembrant, Kalf and Metsu can be contemplated in that gallery; a real enjoyment producing enrichment on a spiritual level at the sight of so many marvels is therefore assured. The sight of the main façade with its imposing three-arched entrance portal and the three windows above it on the balustrade as well as the pediment is in itself a stunning view. The Kunsthalle can be considered in general as a sublime edifice being therefore fitted for the artistic masterworks it houses tending to immortality. In line with that the spatial impression one gets upon entering the entrance hall is comparable to that one may receive upon entering an Italian gothic cathedral. Besides, the spatial impact of the lower floor is especially ascribable to its impressive height. Notwithstanding that, upon leaving behind the two flights of stairs the upper floor appears as a wide, gently vaulted space with four doors and a high window letting much light penetrate. The origin of the Karlsruhe Staatliche Kunsthalle dates back from the sixteenth century. The original designs were made by the architect Heinrich Hübsch (1795-1863), the first ones dating from the year 1835 upon Grand Duke Leopold Baden's decision to redesign the old academy building and erect the “New Academy Building”. The frescoes in some of the interior walls of the grand duke's Kunsthalle are the work of Moritz von Schwind (1804-1871). The decoration of the stairwell depicts the consecration of Freiburg cathedral by Duke Berthold, the Zähringer, illustrated in life figures. The two outer frescoes illustrate “Imagination” and “Mathematics” as prerequisites for architecture. The main decorative fresco is a magnificent work representing almost seven hundred years of Baden history. All such frescoes are very impressive. The feeling one has at their sight is that of entering a fabulous realm of vibrant culture. The large fields and friezes in the groundfloor bear appropriate historical compositions, such as scenes from the Olympic Games from Iliad. They are fantastic works. At the sight of the “Philostratic Paintings” in the current presentation hall one certainly feels thrilled. The interest for this subject among 19th century artists was due in part to Johan Wolfgang von Goethe's essay “Philostratus's Paintings, Ancient and Moderns”. The set of thirty eight panels is organised in seven thematic areas as per Gorthe's stipulation and images concerning death and mourning. In the third pink-coloured hall one can observe references to two myths about founding of Rome, one of them consists in Aeneas, founder of Rome, disembarking at Cunae and his marriage to Lavinia, daughter of King Latinus. As regards the second founding myth there is the image of a shewolf feeding Romulus and Remus, and another panel illustrates the rape of the Sabine women. A careful observation of those works is indeed recommendable. In the Museum subject matter of this review it's possible to behold superb works of art as far as both painting and sculpture is concerned. Within the first mentioned artistic branch there are manifold masterpieces appertaining to different historical times and styles, from the early German gothic paintings to the divers trends of the twentieth century. In relation to the late gothic paintings one can admire, for instance, a diptych in its original frame made at Emperor Charles V's court in Prague around the middle of the fourteenth century. It shows on the two panels respectively the touching confrontation of the beginning and the end of Christ's life. The left panel depicts Mary with the Child in an unusually intimate posture. The right panel shows Jesus as a “Man of Sorrows” suspended betwixt death and resurrection. “Christ as Man of Sorrows” showing the Saviour with the crown of thorns and the accoutrements of suffering is the approach of the young Albrecht Dürer to the Passion subject. Apart from the passion theme, another important motiv of gothic painting is about depictions of the Virgin Mother and of the life of Mary. An example thereof is the work by the Master of the Lichtenthal's Marian panel. On the front and back the Birth of Mary, the Annunciation, the Visitation and Mary's death are represented. Lucas Cranach the Elder's (1472 – 1553) depiction of the Madonna shows a youthful innocence and beauty. Cranach's small lime wood panel of the “Madonna with Child” is among the most charming works in the Kunsthalle. In relation to secular panel painting belonging to the same epoch as those just mentioned an original and eye catching painting is “Melancholy in the Garden of Life” by Matthias Gerung (1500 – 1568/70). In it, the figure of the lady representing Melancholy appears sitting at the center of a wide world landscape divided in small parcels. The four seasons are represented simultaneously, war and peace coexist and new half-timbered buildings are being constructed next to the collapsing and burning fortifications. As fine examples of baroque and rococo in Germany one can find, among the most prominent representatives of these styles, influenced no doubt by tendencies from Italy, works by Johann König (1586 – 1642), Johann Liss (1597 – 1629/30) and Johann Heinrich Schönfeld (1609 – 1682/83). König’s painting “Landscape with Tobias and the Angel” is beautifully executed on a small copper plate. One of the most interesting works in this section is the “Views of Dresden from the Bridgehead of the New Town” by Bernardo Belotto, known as Canaletto (1720 – 1780). In that painting an imposing view of baroque Dresden opens along the Augustus Bridge and over the Elbe. Anton Raphael Mengs (1728 – 1779) had also been court painter in Dresden. His “Portrait of Minister of State Baron Wilhelm von Edelstein” is a marvellous example of his portraiture. As far as Dutch painting in the sixteenth century is concerned, in the Museum in question one may find a number of excellent examples of religious paintings. Apart from that Quentin Massys (c. 1465 – 1530) and Jan Vermeyen (1500 – 1559) painted gentlemen whose identities are unknown. The one portrayed in Vermeyen's painting which is observable in the Kunsthalle looks straight to the viewer making gesture of appeal. Jan Sanders van Hemessen's (c. 1500 – after 1563) “Loose company” is a very special picture. Painted in 1540, it shows a place looking like a brothel As regards the Flemish artist having been active in the 17th century there are four works by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640) in the Kunsthalle. The oldest among them is his portrait of the 22 year old Marchesa Veronica Spinola Doria, which was painted while the painter was still in Italy. It's a precious painting in which Veronica Spinola, a Genovese aristocrat , is presented in a monumental scene. Another great Flemish painter such as Jacob Jordaens made a bold composition picture also housed in the Kunsthalle. It’s his “Moses Strikes Water from the Stone”. An outstanding position occupies among the Dutch painters of the 17th century Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn's. In the collection of the Museum there is his self-portrait. He looks at the visitors with a melancholy, searching, vulnerable and thoughtful expression. Works by other Dutch painters included in that group are also in the Museum being examined. Some of such artists are Clara Peeters, Pieter Claeszoon and Willem Claeszoon Heda as well as Willem Kalf (1619 – 1693 whose “Still Life with Lemon, Oranges and Filled Römer” (1663 – 1664) shows his brilliant artistic reflection of the world of objects. Items regarding the Dutch genre painting of the 17th century can also be observed in the Kunsthalle. As far as landscape is concerned the painting by Jacob van Ruisdael (1628 – 1682) “Tall Trees by the Water” must be considered as one of the best in that genre out of all those housed in the Kunsthalle. That by Aelbert Cuyp “River Landscapewith Milkmaid” is likewise a beautiful picture. The Museum section concerning 17th to 19th centuries French paintings ranks among the most comprehensive and valuable collections of this kind in Germany. The Kunsthalle today possesses first class works of baroque, rococo, clsssicist and 19th century art. By Frans Pourbus the Yunger (1569 – 1622) two works in that Museum deserve admiration, i.e. that of the 15 year-old Louis XIII (1601 – 1643), son of Henry IV and Maria de Medici, and the portrait of Elizabeth of France. The creative work by Antoine (c. 1588 – 1648), Louis (c. 1593 – 1648), and Matthieu (1607 – 1677) Le Nain “Preparation for the Dance Class” makes those painters be among the most successful ones of their time. François Boucher’s (1703 – 1770) “Shepherd and Shepherdess” shows gender and affectionate emotions. Already in the 19th century, landscape became the main subject of the French progressive painters. As a prelude of that trend one can see in the pertinent section of the Kunsthalle the “Rocky Valley at Cività Castellana” by Camille Carot (1796 – 1875). In 1843744 Eugène Delacroix (1718 – 1863) carried out a wall painting for the church of Saint-Denis du Saint-Sacrement. The work in the Museum concerned was painted in 1857 as a replica of the monumental painting whose expressiveness deeply impressed Charles Baudelaire. Among the 19th century French painters a prominent rank must be acknowledged to the impressionists. In this regard in the Kunsthalle it's possible to admire valuable works by Eduard Manet, Edgard Degas, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, August Renoir, Paul Gaugin, Paul Cézanne. By Pissarro there is in that Museum the nice painting “June Morning on Pantoise” in which he focussed on a swath of land without special topographic qualities. As in all impressionist works, in this picture the beauty of the ordinary is awakened, literally seen in a different light. Still some pictures regarding the German Painting of the 19th century can be beheld in the Kunsthalle. Among the painters concerned one may cite Anton Koch (1768 – 1839) whose “Heroic Landscape with Rainbow” is an excellent example of his striking fictional landscapes in which nature appears immortal. Other works of all those produced within the mentioned period housed in the stated Museum are outstanding and deserve thus a careful observation. Among them maybe “The Disturbance” by Adolf von Menzel (1815 – 1905) is the most striking one. It depicts two ladies sitting at a piano by candlelight enjoying a happy moment of leisurely music which is abruptly interrupted. Just a few 20th century paintings stand out of the rest appertaining to the last century integrated in the Kunsthalle collection. These are the Gino Severini's (1883 – 1966) “Bouquet of Flowers”, the Wassily Kandinsky's “Improvisation 13”, the Max Ernst's “The Forest”, the Otto Dix's “The Seven Deadly Sins” and the Max Beckman's “Evacuation of the Sphinx”. The collection is completed with some prints and drawings and some sculptures ranging from classicism to the present. Among the latter, Max Ernst's “The Bird” and “Kaktusmensch” by Julio González are perhaps the most passable ones. From the foregoing it clearly derives that in the Karlsruhe Kunsthalle some real masterpieces are exhibited. That Museum is by all menas the first place where one should go as soon as possible after the arrival at the stated German city.
8. Residenzschloss Ludwigsburg
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 839 reviews
Ludwigsburg Residential Palace is one of the largest Baroque buildings in Europe to survive in its original condition. It offers a striking tour through the centuries - from Baroque to Rococo to Neoclassical.
Reviewed By N8229HVbarbaraa - Adelaide, Australia
It is a beautiful palace and definitely well worth a visit. There are quite a few rooms one can visit and the staff are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. One should take time though and just look and enjoy looking through the rooms and the ceilings. Incredible. Also the surrounding gardens.
9. ZKM | Zentrum fuer Kunst und Medien
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 223 reviews
The ZKM | Karlsruhe is a unique cultural institution at the interface of art and media. With exhibitions and events on current topics it offers orientation in the digital world. At the interface of art, science, technology and society, it constantly develops innovative formats and lets its visitors become active themselves.
10. Zeppelin Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,191 reviews
In Zeppelin Museum guests can discover around 1500 exhibits on 4000m² exhibition space. The museum houses the world's largest collection on the history and technology of aviation, a walkable model of the LZ 129 Hindenburg and an art collection that comprises the greatest masters from Southern Germany from the Middle Ages to the present.
Reviewed By 688SteveR - Buochs, Switzerland
My family and I visited this museum during our 2 day visit to Meersburg. Meersburg and it’s car ferry to Konstanz is only a 30 minute drive away. The museum itself, is built around a reconstruction of the zeppelin passenger compartment of the airship. There is a lot of information to read, and most have English translation. The reconstruction is fantastic. For younger children, it may prove to much as there isn’t too much interactive displays. We spent a good 2/2.5 hrs wondering around taking in all of the history associated with zeppelin and of course the famous hindenburg accident. There is a cafe overlooking lake Konstanz with nice views. A must visit.
