Museum zur Vorgeschichte des Films, Film history museum in water tower at Broich district, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
The Museum zur Vorgeschichte des Films occupies a brick water tower 25 meters tall used as exhibition space. Inside are over 1100 objects showing optical instruments and devices from the period before cinema existed.
The water tower was built in 1904 for railway operations and survived World War II. In 2006 the structure became a museum displaying objects from 1750 to 1930.
The rooms inside document how people once viewed moving images using early devices and optical tools. This space shows how technological progress shaped the way humans saw and understood the world.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday and fully accessible for wheelchair users. A shop and café inside the tower allow visitors to rest between exhibits.
The museum houses the world's largest walk-in camera obscura where visitors can watch the Ruhr region landscape in real time. This optical chamber uses only natural light and lenses to create a surrounding 360-degree view.
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