There are several museums in Europe with a large collection of WWII tanks, vehicles, aircraft and guns. One of these museums is located in Sinsheim, Germany, and called the “Auto and Technology Museum”. As the name already suggests, there is more to see than just WWII items. In German it is called Technik Museum Sinsheim.
The museum houses many sports cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maybach and even a Vector. Interesting thing about Maybach is that during the war years it produced the engines for the panzer IV and the King Tiger. Today Maybach is a brand on it’s own.
Different models of Mercedes-Benz are also on display, with a special exhibit of the models that were used by Nazi prominents like Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.
World War Two
The Technology Museum in Sinsheim has a massive collection of WWII material, with several dioramas, like a setting from the Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK). The objects are packed together in various halls, with vehicles everywhere, numerous airplanes above your head and even a halftrack up against the wall, beside a panther tank fished up from a bog.
They also have a Junkers JU 87 “Stuka” wreck fished from the water. A very rare object indeed, only 2 complete Junkers JU 87’s survive today.
A Focke Wulf FW 190, a Heinkel Bomber HE 111, a BF 109, and a Junker JU 88 are on display next to other aircraft in the large hall.
A German Panzer (Eng: armored) train from the war period is also fitted in. It’s a great spectacle to see all these objects gathered together.
The museum has multiple German WW2 tanks, including Panzer III, Panzer IV, Panther, Jagdpanther, Marder, Hetzer (after war Swiss type), but also tank legends from other nations like the Russian T-34 and the American Sherman. If you think you’ve seen everything in the hall, just walk outside, behind the hall is a long row of American WW2 vehicles.
On the roof of the museum halls you can enter a Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft a.k.a. “Iron Annie”. Next to it are a Concorde and the Tupolev TU-144 (Russian variant of the Concorde). These aircraft are of course not WW2 material, but they are just cool.
Visit Museum Sinsheim in Germany
This museum is highly recommended and easily accessible from the A6 highway. Make it a full day on your planning, because it’s really extensive.
It doesn’t get boring because of the different themes, and there is a lot to learn here. They also have a friendly restaurant if you need to rest your feet and have a bite to eat.
After visiting this museum four years ago, I can say without a doubt that it is the finest museum I have ever visited if one is interested in a wide range of historical items. The WW2 era collection is incredible as are all the other exhibits. The place is huge and it would probably take three or four days to completely tour the site so plan on staying a while and bringing some comfortable walking shoes and a camera. The place is incredible.