Geeky stuff to do in Munich, Germany?

[ivaylo]

Visiting next week... What are good activities/places/stores for a technology/electronics enthusiast? May make it to Berlin, but not sure. Appreciate your input...

[Neomys Sapiens]

Well, that depends mainly if you already know the 'German Museum', which is a gigantic technical/industrial/scientific exhibition in the mold of the Smithsonian and comparable institutions. Aerospace, electrical (including the option to take place in a faraday cage while subjected to artificial lightning discharges, like I once did), communications, optics, mining, and lots more. Not feasible on one day.

[ivaylo]

Nice! Thank you...

[mikeselectricstuff]

Yes, definitely the Deutches Museum - you can easily spend a whole day there. If you don't have that long, check out the high voltage live show on the ground floor - 2 or 3 times a day - check times, and the computing section which has some early German data processing machines & other interesting stuff.
They've just added a new wing which partly open when I went there last Electronica, don't recall much about it though.

There is also a small free museum by Siemens :  http://www.munichfound.com/find_it/museums/id/73/
Also take a wander round a branch of Conrad Electronik - there are several

[pelule]

If you are interested in old computers, I would have recommended the "computermuseum".
Link: http://www.computermuseum-muenchen.de/computer.html
Unfortunately it is closed actual.
/PeLuLe

[ferdieCX]

In Munich, visit the Deutsches Museum.
If you also visit Berlin, go to the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.

[JPortici]

Well, that depends mainly if you already know the 'German Museum', which is a gigantic technical/industrial/scientific exhibition in the mold of the Smithsonian and comparable institutions. Aerospace, electrical (including the option to take place in a faraday cage while subjected to artificial lightning discharges, like I once did), communications, optics, mining, and lots more. Not feasible on one day.

i love that museum! probably the only reason i'd go to munich at all (i enjoy the tasting of malt-based beverages, however i'm not a huge fan of such beverages from the munich area)

[Messtechniker]

In Munich, visit the Deutsches Museum.
If you also visit Berlin, go to the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.

I'd definitely recommend the same. At the Deutsches Museum you could easily spend days.
I used to have and use for many years the first CD Player - a Philips CD 100.
At the Deutsches Museum you could at that time see it behind glass.

Also interesting: two crashed Mercedes 180 one with and one without crumpling zone.
The steering wheel of the Mercedes without crumpling zone was forced
into the driver's seat. Seeing this, really makes you think.

[Neomys Sapiens]

i love that museum! probably the only reason i'd go to munich at all (i enjoy the tasting of malt-based beverages, however i'm not a huge fan of such beverages from the munich area)

I was two times there extensively - as a kid and mid-teen, both times for several days. I still do a visit when I come to Munich and have some time to kill - more selective of course.

And I totally concur about the Munich-style beer - while there IS good beer in rural Bavaria, the mass-produced stuff sold there doesn't cut it.

[jpanhalt]

I think there is a consensus.   I have been to that museum too.   My only regrets were that we scheduled only one full day in Munich and three full days in Amsterdam.   Paid a penalty and went home a day early from Amsterdam.  That was in the 1970's, and I still have vivid memories of the Munich museum.

[babysitter]

Go to the museum. I spend several days there but still haven't finished yet.
A few years ago I would have recommended listen to the bells at the "Neues Rathaus". There is a old automatic carillion and puppet theatre. I was there several years ago with a ham friend and we fuck** up the filming tourists as we started chuckling and laughing as it timing and notes have been absolutely off-key. But I just read that it has been renovated. Still, old automatic stuff is geeky.
If you like american burgers, visit the oldest McDonalds in germany (Martin-Luther-Straße, Giesing, opened 1971 right for the olympic games.)
A somewhat well-known bavarian motor car factory has a museum there. Right next to it is the Olympiaturm (A concrete TV transmitting tower) with a restaurant that rotates around the tower axis.
Also there is the Munich maker lab.

Geeky enough?

[langwadt]

+1 for the museum

when I was there 20 years ago or so I seem to remember there was a whole street of stores with new and surplus electronics 

[mikeselectricstuff]

+1 for the museum

when I was there 20 years ago or so I seem to remember there was a whole street of stores with new and surplus electronics

Almost, if not all gone now- last time I went it was a pretty run-down area with I think one or two left - I'd be surprised if there are any still there.

[CatalinaWOW]

Yet another vote for the Deutches Museum.  The best I am aware of in the world.  I personally think it is better than the Smithsonian for us geeky types.

But as others have said, one day is not enough.  Probably would be best to go one day a week for a whole year, but I could easily go three or four days in a row without saturating.

[ivaylo]

Thanks a lot, guys...

[Benta]

If you're into cars, visit BMW Welt and the BMW Museum.
https://www.bmw-welt.com/en.html

[IRFP460]

Definately visit the deutsches museum!
Also you could visit a small store called Balzer CFS / Hartnagel, it's in Implerstrasse 14.
They have a lot of cheap junk, but there's always something to be discovered, some old piece of test equipment, some retro PCs, etc.
If you can go to the TU campus in Garching and have a look around there. They have a Fission reactor (No chance of getting in there), a fusion reactor (might be able to visit it), a small particle accelerator, a maker lab and tons of other stuff.

[IRFP460]

+1 for the museum

when I was there 20 years ago or so I seem to remember there was a whole street of stores with new and surplus electronics

Almost, if not all gone now- last time I went it was a pretty run-down area with I think one or two left - I'd be surprised if there are any still there.

They're all gone now, the last store moved out of that street 2 or 3 years ago, it is now in Implerstraße 14. Buerklin was in that street and still exists, but you'd need a car to get there.

[babysitter]

+1 for the museum

when I was there 20 years ago or so I seem to remember there was a whole street of stores with new and surplus electronics

Almost, if not all gone now- last time I went it was a pretty run-down area with I think one or two left - I'd be surprised if there are any still there.

They're all gone now, the last store moved out of that street 2 or 3 years ago, it is now in Implerstraße 14. Buerklin was in that street and still exists, but you'd need a car to get there.

As a Infineon part you must know! =)

[Yellofriend]

Yes, definitely the Deutches Museum -

Deutsches Museum - absolutely certain definitely!

And while there, first thing you check is the timing for the high voltage demonstration. Like, what happens when you put 1mio volt on the wood stick. Totally worth watching!

[Zucca]

I live in Munich since 10 years now, but I did not manage to visit this:

https://www.siemens.com/global/en/home/company/about/history/siemens-historical-institute.html

the D Museum is a must, please do not miss the "High voltage" show.
PS: If you don't speak german, please cover your hears when you see the other people doing the same. 

[Yellofriend]

Not sure this qualifies as geeky enough, BMW has a nice car museum in Munich:

https://www.bmw-welt.com

[Neomys Sapiens]

the D Museum is a must, please do not miss the "High voltage" show.

I sat in that cage, aged 8.