At this technology extravaganza, 1km south of the Kaiserdom, you can climb aboard a Lufthansa Boeing 747-230 mounted 20m off the ground (and walk out on its wing), a 1960s U-boat that’s claustrophobic even on dry land, and a mammoth Antonov An-22 cargo plane with an all-analogue cockpit and a nose cone you can peer out of. Other highlights include the Soviet space shuttle Buran. Its IMAX cinema with a domed screen shows science-related films.
There are also military jets and helicopters from both sides of the former Iron Curtain, and a superb collection of vintage automobiles and fire engines.
The Wilhelmsbau showcases some extraordinary automated musical instruments – all in working order – including a Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina, a piano that also bows and fingers two violins, and a Roland orchestrion (1928), which simulates the sound of a soprano accompanying an orchestra.
