The museum started as one of the world’s greatest private car collections from Prof. Friedhelm Loh, owner of multi-billion-euro industrial company Rittal. The collection started solely with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche models some 40 years ago. In the 1990s Loh came to the conclusion that cars from just two manufacturers were just to restricted for him. A great part of the collection was sold off although the very special cars remained in the current collection.
More than two decades later, the cars are finally on public display at the Nationales Automuseum in a historic building which covers 7,500 square metres in a network of eleven halls and museum rooms on the industrial site of the Rittal business.
Although being closed during the winter, the museum has already welcomed more than 85,000 visitors from all over the world since opening in July 2023.
As one of the most exciting car collections in the world, the Loh Collection displays more than 150 spectacular vehicles from 1886 to the present day.
Much attention has been paid to the ambiance in which the cars are displayed. For instance, even the old “Capital Kino,” the cinema in Dillenburg that Friedhelm Loh visited in his youth, has been recreated in detail. Undoubtedly, beautiful car and motorsport films can be shown there. In the hall with cars from the interwar period, a traditional workshop from that era has been recreated. The museum offers a variety of educational programs for schools and universities. This also includes the so-called "History Workshop". It introduces visitors to the industrial history of the Lahn-Dill district and will inspire many young people to pursue a technical education. To guide the visitor, the museum offers an app for smartphones that includes technical information, photos, anecdotes and videos of the vehicles on display. The museum has 2 restaurants of different styles, open all day, including for dinner.
Each year, the National Automobile Museum – The Loh Collection organizes a major themed exhibition to complement its permanent collection. For the 2026 season, the spotlight is on the history of rallying, featuring more than 30 cars and a tribute to the manufacturers and drivers who have shaped this major motorsport discipline.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Pictures by Michael Körber