Few car brands capture the imagination quite like Mercedes-Benz, and visitors to the dynamic city of Stuttgart are able to learn everything they might need to know about this iconic brand. The very epitome of high-class motoring, the Mercedes-Benz Museum is, appropriately enough, located within easy distance of some of the region’s finest luxury hotels, making it a ‘must-see’ attraction when taking a break in the city. Far from simply celebrating the modern status of the marque, the museum takes the visitor back to the very beginning of motoring.
Indeed, the Mercedes-Benz story begins was back in 1886, the year local pioneers Gottlieb Daimler and Car Benz produced their first car and, in doing so, undoubtedly transformed the entire world for good. After exploring the early years of the automobile, guests are then invited to learn about the development of the car from being the preserve of a select few to an essential tool of the modern world, with a particular emphasis on how this iconic German brand has managed to marry luxury and utility. Alongside the history of motoring, the museum also celebrates the Mercedes-Benz brand over the decades. Over an area covering some 16,500 metres on nine levels, guests can marvel at 160 vehicles from years gone by, many of them truly ground-breaking machines in their time. Additionally, the museum also ponders the likely future of the car, exploring how automotive technology and design may evolve in years to come, plus the Mercedes-Benz Museum hosts regular one-off exhibitions and events, all of them celebrating some aspect of the automotive world or another.
If that’s not enough for the motor enthusiast visiting Stuttgart, then the city is also the historic home of another famous German automotive giant, Porsche. Like its historic rival, the sportscar specialist has a museum just outside of the bustling business centre of the city, again with guests welcome to explore the history of the brand and, more importantly, see some of the finest luxury cars ever created all under one roof.
