Automuseum Melle, Automobile museum in Melle, Germany
Automuseum Melle is a transport museum housing over 300 vehicles from different eras of automotive history. The collection spreads across three floors and displays how vehicle technology and design evolved over many decades.
The Automuseum opened in 1984 as the Automuseum Ibbenbüren. In 1997 it moved under its present name into the former Melchersmann furniture factory on Pestelstrasse in Melle, whose halls are protected as monuments. Since then around 2000 different historic vehicles have been shown there as loans. It is run as a non-profit limited company with 24 equal shareholders, one of them the town of Melle, and works only with volunteers.
The museum's name changed with its move: opened in 1984 as Automuseum Ibbenbüren, it became Automuseum Melle in 1997. Its annual "Dampf in Melle" gathering, held for the 19th time in 2018, is a meet for steam-powered automobiles, while the Internationales Schnauferl Treffen, held for the 26th time in 2017, is reserved for the oldest veteran cars.
The museum occupies three floors of the former Melchersmann furniture factory on Pestelstrasse in Melle; two floors hold the exhibition, the third serves as storage. All staff work on an honorary basis, so visits depend on volunteer availability. Vehicles are lent for at most six months, so the line-up changes; club meetings and tours with the city of Melle take place in the surroundings.
The museum only accepts loaned vehicles that are roadworthy, and for no more than six months, after which owners are expected to use them again. Around 2,000 different historic vehicles have passed through the collection this way since it began.
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