Volkswagen AutoMuseum (Stiftung AutoMuseum Volkswagen) displays an amazing collection of historic cars from the Volkswagen family. See the economical Beetles that revolutionized the market as the “people’s cars,” Campers that became symbolic of the free spirited hippie movement and numerous prototypes.
Opened in 1985, the museum has 130 cars in its 54,000-square-foot (5,000-square-meter) exhibition space. Look for familiar Beetles. The company sold over 20 million of these cars with fairly consistent design. Notice two different vintages of Beetle convertible, the Karmann Ghia variation, the Basket Beetle with a woven shell and the original Herbie from The Love Bug film.
The Camper or Volkswagen bus became popular in the 1960s as a mobile home for music fans traveling to Woodstock in 1969 and then roaming the country. See the original Camper design and versions with a pop-up roof, a fire ladder and the luxury Traveller Jet.
Passat, Scirocco, Golf and Polo cars represent modifications in the VW line in the 1970s and 1980s. Study prototypes for replacement for the Beetle that never reached the market. In addition, several other cars achieved motor sport milestones. The sturdy off-road Race Iltis vehicle was once used by the German army and eventually won the 1980 Rally Oasis.
When you’re ready to move from the past to the present, travel north across the canal. Visit the Volkswagen Autostadt to see pavilions for Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Seat and Skoda. Arrange a tour of the production facilities for today’s cars. You can even arrange a candlelight dinner or wedding tour inside the manufacturing plant.
There is a fee to enter to the museum, with some concessionary, family and group rates allowed. Plant tours and Autostadt admission are separate. Miniature models of many favorite cars are available for purchase.
Visit Volkswagen AutoMuseum between mid-morning and early evening from Tuesday to Sunday. The site is closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Plan for about a 2-hour visit. Allow extra time to tour the Volkswagen Autostadt Complex and Schloss Wolfsburg’s history museum. These attractions are near the Wolfsburg train station. The auto museum has free parking.
