The Porsche museum, being built next to the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, will open in fall 2008, exhibiting 80 of the most valuable Porsche cars. The on-site museum (Porscheplatz 1; www.porsche.com) will remain open until the new museum is officially open. Admission is free.
Open since April in Hamburg, Germany, the museum “Prototyp” (Shanghaiallee 7, Beim Lohseplatz; phone 040 3999 69 68, www.prototyp-hamburg.de) shows the history of race car driving. On three floors are 50 cars, from a 1949 Porsche to the Jordan 191 in which German Formula 1 Champion Michael Schumacher gave his debut.
Open 10-6, Tuesday-Sunday. €7.50 ($12) adult.
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, will be celebrated in 2009. A number of museums commemorate the event: GDR Museum, Wall Museum, Allied Museum, German National History Museum, Stasi Museum, Plattenbau Museum. For info on biking or walking tours along the wall’s former route, visit www.visitberlin.de.
In Munich, Germany, the BMW Museum (Am Olympiapark 2; phone +49 [0] 180 2 118822, www.bmw-museum.com) reopened on June 19 after four years of redesign and construction. Located next to BMW World, it is closed Mondays. €12 ($19) adult.
The Francisco Godia Foundation (Diputació, 250, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; phone 93 272 31 80, fax 31 81, e-mail info@fundacionfgodia.org) opens in Barcelona in October 2008 with more than 100 pieces from the 12th century on.
The focus is on medieval art, ceramics and contemporary painting, and it includes works by Joan Miró, Picasso and Ramon Casas. Open 10-8. Closed Tuesday. €6 ($9) adult, €4 student/senior.
The Arqueoticket provides admission to five museums in Barcelona, Spain, with archaeological collections. Ticket holders can visit the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, the City History Museum, the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Egyptian Museum and the Maritime Museum.
At €18 (near $28), the ticket saves €7.50 over the regular admission prices of the museums and can be used for unlimited visits for one year from purchase date. It can be bought from the Barcelona Tourist Board (phone [34] 932 853 832 or visit www.barcelonaturisme.com).
Travelers heading to these rewarding destinations will be greeted by a host of new museums, improved infrastructure and special events. Here’s what to expect if you visit.
Germany
Bella Italia, my favorite country in Europe, is a wonderful work in progress. Here’s a look at what to expect in 2008.
TRAFFIC ZONES
• Italy is gung-ho for restricted traffic zones in its city centers. This is great for pedestrians but not for drivers, who are finding 100-dollar fines in their mail when they arrive home.
Twice a year, about 100 of Berlin, Germany’s, museums open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Patrons can see the art and also sample lectures, music, theater, culinary events and more. “Long Night of Museums” takes place Aug. 30, 2008, and Jan. 24 and Aug. 29, 2009.
One ticket gives unlimited access to all venues and use of a special shuttle. A 25-page PDF program listing the events, performances and where to catch the shuttle can be downloaded from www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de.
In Mulhouse, Alsace, France, the French National Car Museum (192 Avenue de Colmar, BP 1096, 68051 Mulhouse, France; www.collection-schlumpf.com) houses some of the most expensive cars in the world. They were collected by the Schlumpf brothers, who ran textile factories in the 1930s. When the factories went bankrupt in the 1970s, the government turned the collection of about 400 cars into a museum.
Open 10-5, except Jan. 8-Feb. 2 when it is open 1-5 weekdays and 10-5 weekends. Admission, €10.5 (near $15).