The BMW Museum stands beside BMW Group headquarters in Munich’s Olympiapark district, where a circular building known locally as the “museum bowl” makes the visit recognizable before you step inside. Designed by Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer, the museum opened on May 18, 1973. Its architecture is part of the exhibition: the rounded form and connected galleries frame a story about how engines, vehicles, design and the company changed over more than a century. The museum is not just a showroom of polished cars; its purpose is to place products in a wider industrial and cultural timeline.
BMW closed the museum in 2004 for a new exhibition concept and a major expansion. It reopened in June 2008 with five times the exhibition area, according to the company’s historical record. The rotunda remains the building’s signature, while themed spaces organize cars, motorcycles, motorsport, engines and design into changing narratives. The collection traces the company’s history from early manufacturing to contemporary mobility and the ideas that shaped it. Exhibition details change, so the museum’s current program is worth checking before you go, especially if you are visiting for a specific model or temporary show.
