Technic museums Speyer & Sinsheim (Germany)

[PH5121]

I went to Germany last week for a couple of days. Whilst there in addition to touring the Porsche factory and museum I visited the Technic museum at Speyer (I have been to the sister Sinsheim museum before and didn't have time for another visit).

If you are ever in the region (Southern Germay) and have even the slightest interest in engineering and technology including cars, planes, tanks, motor bikes, submarines, space craft, wine presses, scooters, chain saws, Dyson product evolution, Robert Bosch etc I would recommend visiting the two Technic museums.

They are only 20 minutes apart and are about an hour away from Stuttgart. The Sinsheim site has more automotive content.

The Speyer site is smaller than the Sinsheim one, there is so much to see it would be better to recommend that you 'google' them rather than me reel off a list of what is there.
I spent a full day there and it is the smaller of the two sites, they both have hotels on site - similar to the way theme parks over here have on site accommodation but with stuff to interest adults rather than kids.

What I would say is that I never knew that the USSR built a space craft very similar to the US space shuttle, the Buran. It was interesting to get up close to it and see that it seemed to be constructed in a similar manner to a 1950's aircraft with spongy tiles stuck on it! The Soviet crew that flew must have walked like John Wayne!

I didn't take a camera so only have a few pictures snapped on my phone.

[Eric Mc]

Buran only made one flight, in 1988. It flew unmanned. The programme was cancelled because the Soviet Union was running out of money.

[PH5121]

Eric, It was very interesting to see how it was constructed.

Perhaps the construction methods reflected the available budget the Soviet Union had.

[ecsrobin]

Eric Mc said:

Buran only made one flight, in 1988. It flew unmanned. The programme was cancelled because the Soviet Union was running out of money.

Plus a few flights on the bank of an antonov 225.

[Hugo a Gogo]

and one trip on a Rhein barge

Hugo a Gogo said:

time to wheel out my pic of it literally sailing past my house

on its way to the Technik Museum

[PH5121]

Hugo a Gogo said:

and one trip on a Rhein barge

Hugo a Gogo said:

time to wheel out my pic of it literally sailing past my house

on its way to the Technik Museum

In my (very limited) experience you live in a nice part of the world, but one thing that would drive me crazy is that you are not allowed to wash your car at home!

[ecsrobin]

Hugo a Gogo said:

and one trip on a Rhein barge

Hugo a Gogo said:

time to wheel out my pic of it literally sailing past my house

on its way to the Technik Museum

So am I right in thinking the one in the museum never flew? As it has the 2 jet engines on top.

[AlexIT]

Stupid question: is the one you see on the motorway with a LH 747 on the roof (or thereabouts)?

[ecsrobin]

AlexIT said:

Stupid question: is the one you see on the motorway with a LH 747 on the roof (or thereabouts)?

That's the one. http://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/technik-museum-...

[AlexIT]

ecsrobin said:

That's the one. http://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/technik-museum-...

Cheers, I must plan a stop there next time I drive there

[XB70]

Absolutely brilliant places.

I love the option to leave some of the planes (including the 747). You can go back down the stairs....or you can take the hessian bag you carried up with you and go down the slide!

Did a 5 day trip about Germany back in 2009 before our first kids came along - me and a mate tore around Germany flat-out where possible in a CL500; did the AMG factory, various car places and museums and of course these two.

Stayed overnight at the hotel with a view of the TU-144 and the Concorde; went out for some Vmax runs in the middle of the night and then around the museum the next day.

Can after can of Red Bull and paprika crisps; an obscene amount of fuel but just a brilliant time.

[krallicious]

PH5121 said:

In my (very limited) experience you live in a nice part of the world, but one thing that would drive me crazy is that you are not allowed to wash your car at home!

Yes you can! Well, I can't as I live in flat! I think you are getting confused with Sundays being a Ruhe Tag. Everything closed and you are not meant to make noise. It's bliss.

[Hugo a Gogo]

AlexIT said:

Stupid question: is the one you see on the motorway with a LH 747 on the roof (or thereabouts)?

Speyer you see the 747 on the roof
Sinsheim you can see the 2 Concorde/Concordski from miles away

krallicious said:

PH5121 said:

In my (very limited) experience you live in a nice part of the world, but one thing that would drive me crazy is that you are not allowed to wash your car at home!

Yes you can! Well, I can't as I live in flat! I think you are getting confused with Sundays being a Ruhe Tag. Everything closed and you are not meant to make noise. It's bliss.

dunno about that, I'm pretty sure I can't wash my car in the street (or even on my own drive, if I had one), at least with anything more than plain water

Edited by Hugo a Gogo on Tuesday 5th May 19:09

[PH5121]

I guess I was told some duff info about the car washing situation.

[Hugo a Gogo]

no, i think it is true

I've never seen a car being washed in the street, and the Germans keep their cars spotless

[krallicious]

Hugo a Gogo said:

no, i think it is true

I've never seen a car being washed in the street, and the Germans keep their cars spotless

You haven't seen mine then

Pretty sure you can if you have a drive way. The street is definately a and if you did it on Sunday then you would be singing 'Always look on the bright side of life'.

I'll have a check though as I may well be wrong but I can always wash the MIL's car on the drive but she does live in a little dorf in southern Germany.

Anyway back on topic, Speyer is awesome!

[Hugo a Gogo]

I like Sinsheim better, the Blue Flame!

[krallicious]

Hugo a Gogo said:

I like Sinsheim better, the Blue Flame!

The Blue Flame is there? Bugger, need to take a visit then.

Oh, and on a completely different subject. Is there anything to do around Recklinghausen that you know of that does not involve Zechen?

Thank you.

[Hugo a Gogo]

never been, one of these places you only know of as an autobahn sign

[krallicious]

Hugo a Gogo said:

never been, one of these places you only know of as an autobahn sign

Bugger. I know what you mean though