Since it opened, 130,000 people have come to see for themselves what the German “Stern” magazine called “Europe’s most spectacular car museum”. Some have even come to study and learn – because the museum is also a university campus and a knowledge hub. Prof. Wolfgang Henseler, one of Germany’s leading design experts, is responsible for the “museum as a centre of learning” concept.
Text Sarah Benscheidt ––– Photography
Prof. Henseler, what have automobiles got to do with education?
From the outset, the vision of the museum owner, Prof. Friedhelm Loh, was to use automobiles to get young people interested in technology. That led to the museum also becoming a centre of learning. Besides its role as a university campus in collaboration with Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HfWU) the learning opportunities for schools are being expanded, too. The first pilot projects took place last year.
How can automotive design get children and young people interested in technology and technical professions?
Take the example of the pilot project with the Holderberg School in Eschenburg. Schoolchildren were able to learn how to build soapbox cars, draw a car in perspective and make a model out of copper wire and solder. Besides having loads of fun racing their cars at the end of the project (Henseler laughs), the children proved to be very keen and creative participants. No doubt the museum surroundings were also a welcome change from the classroom for many of them.
PROF. WOLFGANG HENSELER,
who lectures at universities including Pforzheim, has been in charge of the Nationales Automuseum campus since 2024.
Will you be further expanding this cooperation with schools?
Our big goal is to incorporate fun, creativity and added educational value into teaching kids about technology and design. Our museum activities for schoolchildren have now been incorporated into the “Hessischer Bildungsserver” platform, where schools can find out about programme contents and contact the museum directly.
How is the university side of things going?
Options such as the “Certified Expert for Car Design” course have been available for over a year now. It gives students an insight into automotive design that they’d normally only get if they were on the management board of a major automaker.
You teach this course yourself. How exactly do you go about that?
In order to understand how the design process for a vehicle comes together, or how it will evolve 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 on selected vehicles in the Loh collection.
Design is just one part of the educational concept, though, isn’t it?
Yes, that’s right. The opportunities and synergies when it comes to research are huge. For example, students can learn how to appraise vehicles based on scientific standards. Work on preparing modules for a Master’s course in engineering sciences has also been completed. A professorship in motor vehicle history is on the cards, too. What’s more, besides the courses for schoolchildren and students, we’re also intending to offer seminars and information days on these topics for interested adults and senior citizens.
The only exhibition of its kind in the world, “Grand Prix – Icons of the Premier Class of Motorsport” covers the period from the pioneering days of motorsport to present-day Formula 1, from pre-war racing cars, technology innovators in the early years and single-seater open-wheel cars from the Silberpfeil era all the way through to today’s models. The exhibits include the Grand Prix racing cars of legends such as Rudolf Caracciola, Juan Manuel Fangio, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. The exhibition opens on 12 April 2025.
