Spectacular collection brings the history of mobility to life

• Fascination on wheels: around 150 selected vehicles from 1886 to today

• University campus of the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Economics and Environment under the scientific leadership of Prof. Dr. Jochen Buck

• New special exhibition: “Grand Prix – Icons of the Premier Class of Motorsport”

Ewersbach, 09 April 2025. With around 150 spectacular vehicles dating from 1886 to the present, the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Hesse, is one of the world’s most exciting automobile collections: The exhibition features numerous one-offs, prototypes and highlights from automotive history, including Michael Schumacher’s first world champion Ferrari, US President John F. Kennedy’s Lincoln Continental and the record-breaking Maybach Exelero, only one of which was built. There are also numerous icons of automotive history, ranging from the Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé to the Lamborghini Miura SV and the Mercedes CLK GTR, as well as a wide range of racing vehicles – from long-distance racing rally, the DTM touring car racing series and NASCAR races to Formula 1 and Formula E. The museum opened in July 2023 and is located in the heart of Germany in the middle of the city quandrangle of Cologne, Dortmund, Kassel and Frankfurt. It is easily accessible via the A 45 autobahn through Germany’s Sauerland region.

The collection was initiated by the entrepreneur and old-timer enthusiast Professor Friedhelm Loh. He has been passionate about classic automobiles for decades and is not only interested in collecting but also in driving them.

The number of visitors to Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach in Hesse shows how great the demand is and the continuing fascination for automobiles for both young and old. Since opening: the Nationales Automuseum has already attracted over 135,000 visitors – 85,000 of whom visited in 2024 alone.The award of the FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup in December 2023 also shows the collection’s importance. In the classic automotive scene, this is viewed as the top international award that a museum can receive. In December 2024, the trade magazines "Auto Bild" and "Sport Bild" honored the car collection with the "Heritage Award" for classic racing cars.

The museum as a university campus
Unique in Germany: Its outstanding portfolio and professional curation also make the Nationales Automuseum attractive for research and teaching. As soon as the museum opened, a university campus began working there: the “Nationales Automuseum University Campus” is affiliated to the Faculty of Economics and Law at Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HfWU). It also offers a wide range of educational opportunities for schools and universities.

Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HfWU) specialises in economics, the environment, and the automotive and mobility industries. The scientific management of the new campus is in the hands of Professor Jochen Buck, the leading expert on accident research in Germany. He gives exciting lectures on the automotive and mobility industries and provides “live hands-on experiences” in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach. So far, 100 participants have completed the unique worldwide certificate course for appraisers of classic vehicles (Certified Expert for Historic Cars = CEHC) at the Nationales Automuseum.

In light of the great interest, Prof. Dr. Buck has designed a master's program culminating in a "Master of Engineering" at HfWU on the topic of automotive history. The program is set to start in November 2025, and the first cohort is already fully booked. Confirmation from the state of Baden-Württemberg that all legal requirements for a new endowed professorship at the Nationales Automuseum have been met is also available. Currently, the job posting is underway, with the appointment planned for the winter semester of 2025/26.

Another focus is set by Wolfgang Henseler, a professor of Digital Media at Pforzheim University, with the certificate course "Certified Expert for Car Design" (CECD), which is also offered by HfWU at the Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach location. In this course, participants gain knowledge about design fundamentals, evaluation criteria for good design, the history of automotive design, trends and future scenarios.

Education with Fun: The Educational Activities of the Museum
Prof. Henseler is also responsible for the education campus and the school activities of the Nationales Automuseum. There is now a partnership with the Hessian Ministry of Education. Not least because it combines fun and creativity with educational value, the museum is accredited as a provider of extracurricular learning locations on the Hessian Education Server.

Overall, the wide range of educational offerings for schools and universities at the Nationales Automuseum is unparalleled in Germany and arguably even in Europe.

A wide range of events for automobile and motorsport enthusiasts
Members of the public with an interest in automobiles can also receive further training at Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach. In the November 2024 seminar, “Bugatti, Past – Present – Future”, for example, high-profile experts explored the question of what makes up Bugatti's DNA – and how it’s expressed and transmitted in both the present and into the future. The educational programme is complemented by events with a focus on motorsport history, including the “AUTOMOBILSPORT Legends Day”, organised in collaboration with the Sportfahrer Verlag in February of this year to honour the memory of German racing driver, Stefan Bellof. Further events are planned, and the Nationales Automuseum’s newsletter provides information on topics and dates.

Neuhütte Dietzhölztal History Workshop
The museum’s unique concept also includes the “Neuhütte Dietzhölztal History Workshop”. This introduces visitors to the Lahn-Dill district’s industrial history in an exciting way, with a focus on “Over 2,500 years of iron smelting at Dietzhölze and Dill.” The “Neuhütte Dietzhölztal History Workshop” is a regional association and has set itself the task of presenting historical and economic development in an imposing way. “My goal is to use the fascination of automotive technology to get young people excited about the topic of technology in the world of work and to attract them to an exciting education,” says museum founder Professor Loh.

Modern buildings with historic industrial architecture
Modern and functional on the outside, the ensemble’s unique interior design buildings provide surprises. The atmosphere of historic industrial buildings preserved and conserved in their original state permeates the entire 7,500-square-metre exhibition area. This charm imparts its extraordinary character to the museum.

This sympathetic presentation shows the exhibits at the Nationales Automuseum in a special light. The central eye-catcher in the main building is a steep curve where the icons of automotive history gather. Behind it, an oversized display case extends across the entire width of the hall, showing off more than 30 sports and racing cars. A colourful graffiti artwork forms the background of the super sports car area.

Making automotive technology from then and now come alive
Visitors are given in-depth information on the vehicles and subject areas by the specially developed app, also available on tablets for hire if desired. Personal guided tours can also be booked. Besides the vehicles, the Nationales Automuseum also has an extensive collection of engines, cutaway models and technical exhibits, ranging from a steam engine to a Bugatti 16-cylinder to the modern electric car platform.

Museum founder Professor Friedhelm Loh adds: “When I started to build up my collection decades ago out of admiration for the achievements of engineers and designers, I could not have foreseen its present size. Over several years, I started wanting to make this collection accessible to the public. Today, the Nationales Automuseum can show interested people unique cars that stand for courage, innovative strength, ground-breaking design, craftsmanship and attention to detail. This is all intended to inspire, delight and entertain visitors. Anyone interested and enthusiastic about the fascination of wheels and vehicle technology is warmly welcomed to the Nationales Automuseum.”

New special exhibition: “Grand Prix – Icons of the Premier Class of Motorsport”
In addition to the extensive permanent exhibition, seasonally changing special exhibitions with a specific focus form an integral part of the Nationales Automuseum. Following the two exhibtions, “100 years of 24h Le Mans – the Myth, the Heroes, the Cars” and “Ferrari – Masterpieces for Road and Track”, the museum will open its third exhibition, “Grand Prix – Icons of the Premier Class of Motorsport” on 12 April 2025. This unique special exhibition features 28 vehicles spanning the arc from the early pioneering days of motorsports to the most recent Formula 1 history.

“The pinnacle of motorsport has always represented the epitome of what is possible. And that is what makes it so fascinating”, notes museum founder, Prof. Dr. Loh.

This impressive exhibit includes GP racing cars driven by world-famous stars like Louis Chiron, Rudolf Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari, Juan Manuel Fangio, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton. The range of icons extends from pre-war racing cars, technology innovators of the early Grand Prix years and ‘monoposto’ models from the Silver Arrow era to a unique cross section of the in the meantime 75-year history of Formula 1.

Nationales Automuseum provides charity car for RTL telethon
The Nationales Automuseum is kicking off the new season with a charity event: As part of the 30th anniversary of the German broadcaster, RTL’s, telethon, the Loh Collection is providing the “Stiftung RTL - Wir helfen Kindern e. V.” (in English: “The RTL Foundation – We’re Helping Children”) with an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 from its collection. Donors can have their digital signature immortalised on the race car for a minimum donation of 30 euros. This will then be transferred to the vehicle as part of the design. There’s space for up to 30,000 signatures. The German automobile club, Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD), which is also supporting the Grand Prix special exhibition, is co-initiator of the campaign.

The artistic design of the charity car is being created by JP Performance, the company of cult tuner Jean Pierre Kraemer. The Nationales Automuseum will exhibit the car following the event. This means that all donors will have the opportunity to admire ‘their car’ in the future as well.

Eat, drink and watch movies – the perfect meeting place for events and trips
The “New York New York” restaurant and diner, several racing simulators and the museum shop with an extensive range of souvenirs that will make fans’ hearts beat faster can all be found in the freely accessible entrance area of the Nationales Automuseum. These include auto quartets, posters and model cars produced exclusively for the museum, as well as the “Model Car of the Year 2023”, a 1:18 replica of the Scuderia Ferrari OM Rolfo racing transporter from 1967, named “Model Car of the Year 2023”. Visitors can see the original just a few metres away in the museum.

The exhibition grounds also offer numerous event areas and exclusive locations for groups of up to 500 people. The in-house cinema seats 50 people.

There are plenty of parking spaces for cars and buses right by the museum as well as private motorhome parking spaces with electricity connections.

Thanks to its spacious grounds, the “Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection” is also an ideal starting point, stopover or destination for old-timer rallies, orientation trips and club meetings. Further information can be found on the museum’s website at www.nationalesautomuseum.de/en.

App-based museum tour with audio and video
Anyone interested in more detailed information on the exhibits and the stories behind them can take the app-based museum tour via smartphone or tablet (devices are also available for hire upon request). The two internationally renowned automobile experts Julius Kruta and Eckhard Schimpf guide you through the exhibition with explanatory texts and audio contributions on almost every vehicle, as well as several entertaining videos.

The app can be downloaded free of charge from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store; QR codes on the vehicles guide you to the relevant content.

Facts and figures
· Open from Wednesday to Sunday
· The “New York New York” restaurant and diner, museum shop, racing simulators, and a 50-seat cinema
· Around 150 permanent exhibition vehicles
· Vehicles from more than 55 different brands and over ten countries
· Personal guided tours by arrangement
· “History workshop” on “Over 2,500 years of Iron Smelting at Dietzhölze and Dill” (free entry)
· Multiple event locations for up to 500 people
· Parking spaces for cars, buses, and motorhome parking spaces (including electricity)

About the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection
As one of the world’s most exciting car collections, the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection, located in the Central German town of Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Hesse, displays around 150 spectacular vehicles from 1886 to the present day. The exhibition, which has been open to the general public since July 2023, extends over some 7,500 square metres with a mix of eleven sheds and exhibition spaces on a former industrial site. The exhibition houses unique pieces, prototypes and highlights of automotive history from the collection of the founder of the museum Prof. Friedhelm Loh. His aim is to document the historic, technical and economic development of the automobile, and generate enthusiasm for its history. Its outstanding portfolio and professional curation also make the Nationales Automuseum attractive for research and teaching. The “Nationales Automuseum University Campus” is affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Law of the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Science (HfWU) and also offers a wide range of educational opportunities for schools and universities. There is also a museum shop, cinema, restaurant and designated areas for events for up to 500 people.

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Contact
Stiftung Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection
Museumstrasse 1
35716 Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Germany
Telephone: +49 2774 923 650
E-mail: presse@nationalesautomuseum.de
www.nationalesautomuseum.de