February 20, 2007...10:16 am
The Weird World of Volkswagen
(above: the power plant for the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg)
On the road from the Harz to Berlin just after Christmas, we decided to make a stop somewhere (kind of) on the way, and perhaps due to residual yuletide alcohol in the blood stream, we thought Wolfsburg might be an interesting destination. It was certainly like nowhere I have ever been before - every car (and this is only a slight exaggeration) comes from the Volkswagen stable, the entire centre of the city is dominated by the absolutely ginormous car plant, and the feel you get in general is as if you have woken up in a futuristic world where corporations rule the planet and are the only gods worshipped. The only other place that I have been that is comparable to Wolfsburg is Leverkusen, where Bayer rules the roost, and although both cities are - in the words of Wikipedia - “lacking in culture and visitor attractions”, they are somehow fascinating in their shear awfulness.
No, that might be a little unfair on Wolfsburg which seemed to have some semblance of life beyond Volkswagen, and even if the town is dominated by one thing and one thing alone, at least they have a Bundesliga team with a spanking new stadium bankrolled by the car manufacturers, and opposite, the $750 million Autostadt, easily the town’s number one tourist attraction and mecca for Germany’s car-lovers. But like the city that hosts it, the Autostadt is a very weird place. Divided into pavilions, with bars and cafes, a creche for the kids and even its own Ritz-Carlton hotel, the place is a windswept soulless auto-playground devoted to The Company with a staff whose smiles seem permanently fixed to their faces whilst all the while suggesting that no good will come to anyone who is even thinking about breaking the rules, such as walking on the grass or stripping naked and jumping in one of the sculptured lakes.
There were a lot of cars to look at, and some interesting exhibitions on the history of automobiling in Germany and around the world, but, see, I can’t even drive so there wasn’t even the fantasy element of drooling over a blinged-up Bentley or seventies-era Lambourghini or whatever it is that petrolheads get excited over. You might even ask what I was doing there in the first place, and it would be a good question. None of us were quite sure ourselves, although the burger was tasty in the American-style diner, the fog-tunnel was blast, and the people picking up their brand new Vokswagens, Audis, Skodas etc all looked very pleased with themselves, especially when they saw their name appear on the television screens above our heads. Bless.
Anyway, I’m off to Barcelona to watch my beloved reds get a pasting at the Camp Nou…stories and tales from the capital of Catalunya when I get back. More photos from Wolfsburg to follow…
(above - the understated entrance hall of the Autostadt)
(above - two of the contrasting pavilions at the Autostadt)
On the Atari DJ Tapedeck: ‘Bicycle Race’, Queen
6 Comments
February 20, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Actually, although it doesn’t seem to have any permanent collection, the art museum in Wolfsburg’s not bad; I saw a show on streamline design there once, and it was great. In the other room, some guy was setting up what looked like an interesting installation, although I got back on the train to Berlin rather than wait a couple of days for him to finish it.
But the rest of the town…yeah, you’re right.
February 21, 2007 at 10:19 am
did the museum have Hitler’s original drawings for the KdF-Wagen?
February 21, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I think that might be filed under “history,” not “art,” somehow.
February 22, 2007 at 12:35 am
not the art museum! the history of volkswagen museum! of course, that little wagon was a design breakthrough - the operation barbarossa of small autos!
February 22, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Hey guys. Still in Barcelona…but anyway - I remember there was a section devoted to the origins of the first German peoples cars, and they didn´t brush off the Nazi era - but I don´t remember seeing any plans from Hitler, I have to say.
February 24, 2007 at 10:31 am
a sketch can be found here -
http://www.hitler.org/artifacts/volkswagen/
perhaps in this case KdF should be read not as ‘Kraft durch Freude’ but instead ‘Kraft durch Fahrvergnügen’! Original specifications were for an auto that would ‘carry two adults and three children, go up to 60 miles per hour, get at least 33 miles per gallon, and cost only 1,000 reichsmarks.’
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