Rügen’s Railway and Technical Museum (“Eisenbahn & Technik Museum”) is located in Prora, between the “Koloss” and the railway line. In fact, it is only a short walk from Prora’s station.
The sign at the entrance is a welcome sight for any museum visitor, but especially for bloggers: “entry includes free use of the toilets, the car park and unrestricted photography and filming”. There is indeed a large car park and flash photography is not a problem. Although the museum is so large, that in the main hall a small compact camera’s flash may not have much effect. The toilets, however, are at the furthest possible point in the museum from the entrance.
The entrance to the museum is through a tram
The entrance itself is an usually but fitting way in – through a tram. You climb in at the middle, pay, and go out through one end. For those not able to climb up the steps into the carriage there is, however, a level way in as well.
Once inside the main hall, just the amount of vehicles in there is overwhelming, with two of the largest locomovtives flanking the sides of the hall. In between there are a range of historic cars, including the East German “Trabbi”, bubble cars and even Modell T and A Fords.
Cars inside the main hall with locomotives lining the sides and a glider overhead
Further down the hall there is an example of the trains with magnetic lift that were trialled in Berlin before the fall of the wall, trams, and even jet fighters.
Off to one side there is an area dedicated to old fire engines and shunting locomotives, even one of the diesel locomotives used in the chalk mines. Off to the other side are some interesting locomotives, including one that was used to clear snow. Not just with a snow plough, but with a huge snow blower on the front of it.
Shunters and industrial locomotives in one of the side rooms
There are also a number of model railways and a model of the Koloss in the state that it was during GDR times.
Each of the items on display is accompanied by details not only with statistics such as the date it was built and the detail it was taken out of service, but also historical details about the design, how many were built, where they were used and how the item on show ended up in the museum.
Rows of locomotives line one of the side halls
Walking around the museum and reading the signs takes around 90 minutes, but with children this could take longer if someone with sufficient knowledge is in the group to be able to explain things. Since the whole of the museum is under cover, it makes the perfect place to go on a rainy or windy day on the island for just a short trip out.
One of the model railway exhibits
The museum is open from April to October between 10am and 5pm. Entry currently (2015) costs €10 for adults and €5 fochalr children. A map of how to get there can be found on the German website: www.etm-ruegen.de.
The site is also one of the stops of the “Prora Express” which takes visitors to the tree-top walk.
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