- Panel of judges honours The Loh Collection for promoting and preserving automotive history
- Over 30,000 visitors already since it opened in July 2023
Ewersbach, 11 December 2023. Just four months after its opening, the FIA global governing body of motorsport honours the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection with its FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup. The award was presented on 8 December at the FIA’s Grand Gala in Baku, Azerbaijan, where Max Verstappen received his Formula 1 World Championship trophy.
“This prize is a special award for the Nationales Automuseum,” explains the museum founder Prof. Friedhelm Loh. “It demonstrates that we have created something unique here with our work. This is a place where visitors can experience many facets of the amazing history of cars up close. The award is therefore also an award for everyone involved in the creation of the museum.”
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile has been presenting the FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup since 2010, conferring this special award to honour the efforts of committed organisations, events and individuals to promote automotive history. The FIA Heritage Cup is regarded an accolade within the classic car scene. Past prize winners have included the Dutch Louwman Museum as well as renowned events such as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (UK), the Mille Miglia (Italy) and the Monterey Motorsports Reunion (USA). Entries for the award are submitted by the FIA’s member organisations around the world, with all applications being judged by a panel consisting of the 13 FIA founding clubs, the so-called FIA Founding Members. The Nationales Automuseum was nominated by the German Automobile Club (AvD), which had produced the application video “The Loh Collection – the most beautiful museum in the world” for this purpose.
The new museum in the Central German town of Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach opened its doors to the public on 23 July. Over 30,000 car enthusiasts have now visited the extensive collection of over 150 spectacular vehicles, including exclusive individual exhibits, prototypes and milestones in automotive history. Alongside the permanent exhibition and an art deco-style cinema, the museum is also home to the unique special exhibition entitled “100 Years of 24h Le Mans – the Myth, the Heroes, the Cars”. This exhibition documents the exciting development of the world’s most famous endurance race with over 20 original Le Mans racing cars dating from 1928 to the present day. Many of the vehicles on display, such as the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato or the Porsche 917 K, have extraordinary significance in the history of Le Mans. “Visitors are inspired by the vehicles in the collection as they represent courage, innovation, craftsmanship, and a love of detail – qualities that we have always admired,” continues Professor Loh.
About the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection
As one of the world’s most exciting car collections, the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection,located in the Central German town of Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, exhibits over 150 spectacular vehicles from 1886 to the present day. The exhibition, which has been open to the general public since July 2023, extends over some 7,500 square metres with a mix of eleven sheds and exhibition spaces on a former industrial site. The exhibition houses unique pieces, prototypes and highlights of automotive history from the collection of the founder of the museum Prof. Friedhelm Loh. His aim is to document the historic, technical and economic development of the automobile, and generate enthusiasm for its history. Its outstanding portfolio and professional curation also make the Nationales Automuseum attractive for research and teaching. The “Nationales Automuseum University Campus” is affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Law of the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Science (HfWU) and also offers a wide range of educational opportunities for schools and universities. There is also a museum shop, cinema, restaurant and designated areas for events for up to 500 people.
* The “100 Years of 24h Le Mans” special exhibition, history workshop, restaurant and shop are open all year round. The permanent exhibition is currently closed for the winter and will reopen on 23 March 2024. Guided tours or events in the permanent exhibition continue to be available on request at info@nationalesautomuseum.de.
