THE MUSEUM AS A SIGN OF COMMITMENT TO THE REGION AND A CENTRE FOR LEARNING

The press are in agreement that the exhibit “would not even be out of place in Munich or Berlin.” However, Prof. Loh is clear that the museum has been set up in his home town of Ewersbach both as a commitment to the region and as part of a concept to turn the museum into a centre for learning. “I was born here and had the opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur with the help of the people here. I am very grateful for that, so I want to give something back and add to the region’s appeal.” Prof. Loh is also keen to show that, as a location for business, the region has truly fascinating technological credentials. Visitors can see this for themselves in the history workshop, for example, which is an installation that encapsulates the region’s industrial history, focusing in particular on “2,500 years of iron smelting in Dietzhölze and Dill”. The history of Rittal, the largest company in the Friedhelm Loh Group, tells the same story.

The Nationales Automuseum is a testament to engineering, technology, the region and the future ­– and it links together all these major themes. It is not just about admiring automobiles, it is about researching them, being inspired by captivating technology, sharing knowledge, and thus helping to open up new educational avenues. As Prof. Loh sees it, the museum – and by extension the history of the automobile – also embodies people’s lives as well as progress, inventive spirit and innovation. “My goal is to use the captivating appeal of automotive technology to inspire young people to engage with technology as a subject and with exciting educational opportunities,” says Prof. Loh.

• The concept behind the Automuseum rests on three pillars. It has been created as a centre for learning that reaches out to children, school pupils, students, adults and senior citizens equally. It aims to be a place of learning and inspiration for everyone.

  EXPERIENCE CAMPUS

  • e.g. learning stations
  • Media library
  • Interactive applications

  +

  UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

  • e.g. qualifications
  • Teaching
  • Science
  • Research

  +

  LEARNING CAMPUS

  • e.g. seminars
  • Events
  • Workshops
  • Camps
   

“WORKSHOP” FOR EDUCATION

This is why the museum is also being run as a centre for learning. The first major steps in realising new educational routes have already been taken, with the opening of a university campus under the academic direction of Prof. Jochen Buck from Nuertingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences. For example, students can study how to appraise vehicles based on scientific standards, there are plans for a professorship in motor vehicle history, and work to prepare modules for a Master’s course is well underway. What’s more, the campus has secured Prof. Wolfgang Henseler, one of Germany’s highest-profile design experts, to run a certified course in automobile design. Further collaborations with schools and universities are in the pipeline. “The professional curation of the collection makes the museum really interesting for research and teaching purposes,” says Buck, who is also a leading accident research expert in Germany. Student engineers can now scrutinise “Benz Viktoria” and the other vehicles during block seminars, carry out research live on exhibits, and relate the theory they have learned from lectures on the automotive and mobility economy to the collection of exhibits at their new university campus. The students are in the museum – and local students have already signed up, too. What started out as a dream has become a reality.

Four questions for...

Prof. Jochen Buck from Nuertingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU)

01 Prof. Buck, the number of students signing up for technical courses is dropping slightly. Is this collaboration with the museum also an attempt to get people more inspired about technology?

Prof. Jochen Buck: Absolutely. That’s one of the main aims of our educational offerings. We could do with getting more students on technical courses, and that’s what we’re working on together here. Helping to explain technology, inspiring through education – the Nationales Automuseum is the perfect place for precisely that.

02 In very specific terms, what is it that makes this collaboration with the Nationales Automuseum stand out?

Prof. Buck: We can offer globally unique courses here, such as the “Certified Expert for Car Design” course. This course gives students an insight into the automotive design of the past, present and future – something they’d normally only get if they were on the management board of a major automaker. Most other car collections aren’t suitable for what we want to do because they’re based on a single brand, for example. We have a hugely diverse range of exhibits here. The opportunities and synergies when it comes to research are enormous.

03 What tangible form do these teaching concepts take, for instance in relation to automobile design?

Prof. Buck: In order to understand how the design process for a vehicle comes together, or where technological innovation will take that process in the future, you need to have theoretical know-how that is backed up by practical work. That’s why students are given the unique opportunity to conduct research directly on selected vehicles in the Loh collection.

04 Looking to the future, what other plans are there?

Prof. Buck: Besides the courses that are already starting this semester, we also have a new Master’s course and a professorship in the pipeline. We are working on collaborations with local schools, too, and are planning to run general further education seminars on topics related to the technology, history and design of automobiles. The Nationales Automuseum is to be a place of learning and inspiration for everyone. That’s our vision.

Many thanks for talking to us!