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Old 21st November 2020, 13:31   #1
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Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid

I spent yesterday morning at the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
How you ask?
The answer: Virtually!

Background
The day before yesterday, I was teaching my sister (4th Grader) a lesson from her Social Studies syllabus. It was about the state of Maharashtra. I tried a different approach to make it easier for her to remember. I used Google Earth, and transported us to different landmarks across the state which were in her lesson and explained to her the importance points about the city/place.

It worked and she enjoyed the 360degree virtual tours. It was much easier for her to visit the place and remember than memorise answers off the notes. I remembered this article from TopGear which I’d read some time ago, about a list of car museums to virtually visit during lockdown, and thought of doing it myself.

With the few correct keywords in Google Search, I was able to find the Top Gear link as the first Google Search result. I clicked on it and found some good museum names over there, but there was a particular one which I was looking forward to visit the most.

‘The Mercedes Benz Museum at Stuttgart in Germany.’

And so I did. The next day, I.e yesterday, the first thing in the morning!

How to Reach

By the World Wide Web: https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/cla...um/exhibition/

Things to Carry (What you’ll need)

- a stable internet connection
- headphones
- a device
- an undisturbed surrounding
- VR Headset preferred.
and that’s all you need!

How I went about the tour experience:

This section is divided into two sub parts.

Preparations:
I was using Safari browser on iPad with headphones. Why the headphones: just surfing the 360degree site would be like looking at 2D pictures, and would get boring sooner. To make the complete museum experience was the next thing to do. So what did I do? I searched for a museum sounds/ASMR video on YouTube and found one hour long track of museum noises. That is what I played throughout my tour and it did add to the museum experience. The only thing that was missing was the sound of a little girl saying “mommy I’m bored!”.

Back to the topic, so the museum tour is in one tab on my Safari window and the YouTube video is in another. The problem was, YouTube does not play in the background unless you buy a YT Premium subscription, and I did not have one. Luckily I found a workaround, so sharing it for your benefit. If you play the YouTube video, and press the power button twice on your iPad quickly, then it solves the problem and keeps playing your video (audio) in the background.

So I clicked the museum link which is given above, then clicked the blue button on scrolling down a little which read “To the virtual tour”.

The main experience
It took me just a few seconds to be transported from my house to Stuttgart, and lo and behold, I was there, standing in front of the big building I had never seen before in my life but always wanted to visit. It had the Greyish Silver color with lots of glass, just like the premium feel, the plushness and opulence in Mercedes Benz cars. Along with that, the well maintained landscape with green trees neatly planted in the area and the blue sky with fluffy white clouds, it was a beautiful sight! I would see the top of the museum building from the worm’s eye POV again and again. A red dot at its entrance pointed me where to go.

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First off, in typical TBHP fashion, a spreadsheet screenshot containing specifications

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But then, I looked around and there was another red dot to its right, past the Mercedes logo flags.
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“What could that be?”, I thought to myself. I was very excited and impatient to visit those cars in there but at the same time I wanted to satisfy my curiosity and inquisitiveness and just explore around. Before I knew it, my hand clicked on the red dot to the right and went to the museum’s open air auditorium.
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It had a white screen, bordered by black, with a Mercedes logo at the top corner. In front of it were about a hundred plastic chairs. I was placed in a chair in the center with a good view of the screen. I waited for something to play on the screen but no, there was nothing shown on the screen. But I did take it as a chance to see the building and the surroundings from another angle.
——————————
Now, I start the main tour. I don’t use the red dots or arrows to transport me into the building but instead swipe to open the sidebar menu which had an option of directly teleporting me inside the building.

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I looked around the lobby. Nothing much to see over there, except the elevators and help desk and some cars on the upper level. But it was very posh and clean and on looking up, you can see all the levels.

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Something to note here, if you went to the real museum, you’d be escorted to the uppermost level first (I.e level 8) which has the oldest exhibits from 1886 to 1900. Then there would be floors connected by ramps, and you’d have to walk all the way down in order of level 7,6,5 then 4 and so on while looking at the exhibits. However I was unaware of that, and instead of starting my journey from the uppermost level, I went the other way around, devolving, instead of evolving.

Another thing, there are two tours. The first of the tours consists of seven Legend rooms which narrate the chronological history of the brand. The second tour groups the wealth of vehicles on display into five separate Collection rooms, which thematically document the breadth and diversity of the brand portfolio and collection. Both tours finish at the banked curve entitled Silver Arrows – Races & Records. I messed up here too, and explored both, the legend tour as well as the collection rooms together in one go.

The difference between legend and collection is that in Legend, exhibits are arranged scenically under artificial light, the bright Collection rooms show their exhibits in daylight.

The first level was the lobby. So I took the escalators downstairs to level zero, or rather pressed the red downward arrow on the escalator like structure and I was transported to the Youngtimer room.
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Over here, I saw Mercedes Benz’s classic cars - all of the timeless Mercedes designs. I could not name them; but still appreciated them.
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These were modern cars according to Mercedes. To me, that generation of cars is the best Mercedes ever built. A Mercedes from that era in Mumbai traffic still turns my head.

Here, I noticed that it takes the same amount of time to transport me from one level to another as it took to transport me from India to Sttutgart!

Next, I went to the Fascination of technology room, which had two views, one from below and one from above.
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This room had their concept cars including the C111/II and other cool cars; (which are drool worthy, but I can’t name them) which sadly could not make it to production including the Mercedes World Record Car T80.
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After this I went to the Silver Arrows room. This contains all of Mercedes’s iconic race cars like the W25 Avus, 300SL, W196 R, the green 1450 S race truck and the red Atego race truck.

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On the level 3 we had the ‘New start’ cars from 1982 onwards including a P2 80 Plug in, E Cell and others I could not name.

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Let the pictures do the talking.

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In the next level we have a Gallery of Celebrities, which has the Mercedes Popemobile among other famous cars.

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I also went to the Visionaries hall which has more safer cars from 1960 to 1982 such as the Mercedes Benz Measuring Car, the 220 S and the Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 and that big bus is the O303 Touring Coach. The 230SL was the world’s first car with a passenger safety cell and a crumple zone.
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———————————————————-
PART 1 ENDS HERE.
Levels 5,6, 7,8 are covered in the next part.

Last edited by EightSix : 22nd November 2020 at 11:35.
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Old 22nd November 2020, 12:01   #2
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Mercedes Benz Museum tour during Covid : Pt.2

I continue my adventure in the Mercedes Benz Museum in this second part too. As I ascend, I have reached the 5th level.

This level had in store for me - The Post War Miracle which included The Gullwing magic I.e. 300SL Coupe and the hardtop of the 300 SLR which is the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe.

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There is also the 180 and the 300 SL. That green thing is the LK 388 Dump Truck. If you eat your carrots (I.e. if your eyes are sharp) you will spot a plane too! We will come to that later, be patient.

As one walks out after touring the Post war cars, he sees rays of the bright sun peeking in through the glass. You guessed it, there is another collection hall. As I walk through this passage, I see a beautiful sight. There are various cars, trucks, vans etc. but first, the German buildings and the cityscape of Stuttgart draws my attention.

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But then, once I spot and recognise the F1 C32 AMG Medical car and forget what the city has to offer and instead drool over the C220 Station Wagon Police car, the Benz firefighting truck from 1900 and the modern Sprinter 313 medimobile.

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However, in the 360 view, you see a limited number of cars only. Besides; this being a Collection Hall and not a Legend, these models are not in chronological order so you see everything from the 1910 till present day.

The next level had the ‘Times Of Change’ from 1914 to 1945 with superchargers and diesels. That aircraft is the Klemm Daimler Lightweight Aircraft L20. This hall also features multiple engines and sports cars of the day.

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The Gallery of Carriers on the same level features trucks and transporters.

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The one with those cars on it is the 1624 Car transporter. There is also a mobile post office and an oil carrier.

Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid-mbcom_classic_collection2_d545748_2560x1700.jpeg
(^^Picture of 1624 Car Transporter from MB website)

Take a look at the scale models decorating the gallery.

Travel upstairs to another level, and you see the era of the Mercedes. Before this, there were two separate companies; Daimler and Benz. This level is home to the ‘first modern automobile’ and cars bearing the Mercedes name.

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The collection hall on this level is entitled Gallery of Voyagers. This includes all iconic transport vehicles including the 300TD, Viano Marco Polo MPV, and that red bus with an odd paint job and a merc logo on it is actually a Mercedes, it is the LO1112.

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If you have lost count, we were on the seventh level now, the eighth is the last one. When I explored the eighth level, I saw the Benz Patent Motor Car, the three wheeled thing in the Center. Next to it, the Daimler motorised carriage is the first four wheeled automobile.

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Daimler called it’s single cylinder engine ‘The Grandfather Clock’.

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Although it is not clear, there is a patent of the car on the wall behind there. Next to it are some pictures, photographs etc. of the cars. The display of cars next to it is the evolution of the car in chronological order, but it includes a boat too. I took a while over there, it was the best part of the museum according to me. I stood there in awe, looking at the cars, trying to zoom in at the patent on the wall, looking at everything in sheer admiration.

I realised what a long way we’ve come. This trip to such an iconic museum was unforgettable, since this thing is also my first TBHP travelogue.

After seeing that, I clicked the X on the tab and abruptly bid adieu to the museum, and then went for breakfast.

Issues faced
-Got disconnected one time.
-Pressed the reload button by mistake and from the 5 th level, I was outside standing in front of the museum in a second. It was like touching a car and getting kicked out by the security guards.
-When I pinched to zoom in and pinched outward to zoom out, I would exit the full screen.
- When I would try to move around the museum by dragging my finger over the touchscreen in fullscreen, iPad would show this pop-up:

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-It was hard to label the cars, and had to go back to the Mercedes Benz website to check each time I was curious about a car.
-In the Collection Halls, they have placed all cars together and that makes it difficult to see all the cars. There is only a limited view in the 360*.
-They have their own background sound on the virtual tour it seems, but it did not work for me.

Overall Experience
Positive. Would surely recommend other enthusiasts to take virtual tours of car museums. If it is not the perfect museum experience, it is still very close to the real thing. Now, I’m waiting for the real experience.

THE END

Last edited by EightSix : 23rd November 2020 at 06:42.
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Old 23rd November 2020, 06:56   #3
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Re: Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line (The "Assembly Line" Forum section). Thanks for sharing!

Will be going to our homepage this week
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Old 23rd November 2020, 08:43   #4
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Re: Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid

Quite a unique tour you had there! Especially In times like this when we are bored to death due to the lockdown. I am definitely going to try it today itself.
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Old 23rd November 2020, 09:59   #5
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Re: Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Thread moved out from the Assembly Line (The "Assembly Line" Forum section). Thanks for sharing!

Will be going to our homepage this week
Thanks a lot GTO, this was my first travelogue, and it means a lot to me that it is on the TBHP Homepage, where I myself have read amazing threads from different BHPians for so many years. Thank you very much again for making my day!

Quote:
Originally Posted by superguy282 View Post
Quite a unique tour you had there! Especially In times like this when we are bored to death due to the lockdown. I am definitely going to try it today itself.
Oh please do. It’s really interesting. As I said, it does not replace the real experience but for us car enthusiasts; this is great way to pass our time.

(My other new hobby is taking 360* experiences of new cars on the manufacturer’s website.)

BTW I’ve just completed 25 Posts, and now I’m officially a BHPian.
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Old 23rd November 2020, 18:49   #6
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Re: Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid

Great post EightSix and a brilliant initiative by MB Museum. Having physically visited the place, I can confidently say that the views are as close an experience as possible as one would have actually visiting the place.

Feeling nostalgic so attaching a couple of photos one is of the device they hand over to you to play the appropriate recording when you are close to a particular model. The second one is of a small wall cabinet highlighting all the different types of models produced by Mercedes over the years.

Also adding my favourite photo from the visit
Attached Thumbnails
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Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid-_dsc00402.jpg  

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Old 23rd November 2020, 20:01   #7
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Re: Mercedes-Benz Museum Tour during Covid

Great Thread! Thanks for putting this together.

Even if you are not into cars or even Mercedes, this is just a fantastic museum to visit. Obviously, currently it means doing it virtually. But if you ever find yourself near Stuttgart, do try and spend some hours at this place. Very impressive, extremely well curated. Some real remarkable displays!

Jeroen
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