After closing for eight weeks, the Porsche museum will again physically showcase the Porsche dream as it sets to reopen its doors to visitors on May 12. Porsche on March 14 stopped admitting guests at its museum in Stuttgart, Germany, as the company exercised its social responsibility in containing the spread of COVID-19.
When the Porsche Museum restarts operations, the health and safety of visitors—as well as those of company personnel—will be a top priority, with Porsche observing all state requirements regarding protection against the coronavirus. Among the measures to be implemented is a new guidance system for the entire building which would ensure a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between visitors. Another is controlling the number of visitors to be allowed at a particular time throughout the museum. While the museum’s operating hours will remain (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays to Sundays), all gastronomic areas will stay closed.
“We will also provide face masks and disinfectants. We carry out regular occupational safety training for staff relating to hygiene and conduct recommendations,” said Achim Stejskal, the head of Heritage and Porsche Museum.
He added that the Porsche Museum is extending the validity of the annual tickets by two months, equivalent to the duration the museum did not accept visitors.
The Porsche Museum took advantage of the temporary closure to the public by performing maintenance and renovation work planned for this year. And because some of these are still ongoing, the admission price to the museum is presently reduced by half.
One of the projects still being done is the conceptual reorientation of the entrance to the “Prologue” permanent exhibition, which presents the early days of Porsche, up to 1948.
Suspending operations does not mean the Porsche Museum stopped providing Porsche enthusiasts and the public some attractions. The Porsche Museum for two weeks in early April let some of the most successful Porsche racing drivers like Stephane Ortelli, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Marc Lieb, Kurt Ahrens and Mark Webber to answer questions from fans, providing them a bit of cheer during difficult times.
Besides the chat sessions with drivers, the Porsche Museum also offered children some online treats, such as a selection of games and activities, on the special www.porsche4kids.com website. Here, children could color pictures, solve puzzles and learned about the fundamentals and history of electric-powered mobility, beginning from the origins of electric vehicles right through the Porsche Taycan.
