The past becomes tangible, memories are awakened, and emotions are revived. Historic automobiles make hearts beat faster. A brand with history has one clear advantage over its competitors: credibility, built on a long-standing foundation of trust. At Volkswagen, this means it just keeps on running and running and running. The saying from the Beetle era still applies to the modern Golf.

From here, it is only a few hundred meters from the past to the future. The Volkswagen AutoMuseum is located close to the Volkswagen plant, where the latest Volkswagen models are produced. A total of 130 vehicles, displayed across 5,000 square meters of exhibition space, offer a fascinating insight into Volkswagen’s product history. Among the main highlights are many rare studies, prototypes, and one-offs.

Particularly captivating are the rare studies and prototypes displayed side by side with Volkswagen series models, allowing for direct comparison. Which details made it into series production, and which were discarded? Alongside production vehicles and prototypes, the exhibits also include curious one-offs such as film star Herbie, a wooden Beetle, and the See-Golf, a floating Golf equipped with hydraulic pontoons.

The AutoMuseum was officially founded on April 25, 1985, when the Volkswagen Group’s technical and historical collection, housed in a former clothing factory with industrial charm, was opened to the public for the first time. On January 1, 1992, the museum became a non-profit foundation: the Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation. In spring 2001, in parallel with the opening of the Zeithaus in the Autostadt, a conceptual reorganization took place. From that point on, the museum has focused solely on the Volkswagen brand, enhancing the exhibition’s appeal.

The story continues as the AutoMuseum Volkswagen collection is constantly growing. Regular special exhibitions focus on exciting details of Volkswagen’s product history and shed light on them from new and unusual angles.