| Munich Parking Garage | |||
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| Netlore Archive: Emailed images purportedly show a space-age automated parking garage constructed in a circular tower in Munich, Germany | |||
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Email example contributed 7 May 2006:
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Comments: These photos are authentic, though mislabeled. What you actually see above is the interior of a 20-storey car tower in Volkswagen's Autostadt or "car city" in Wolfburg, Germany — basically a car dealership and theme park rolled into one.
The Autostadt, which opened in 2001 and boasts a hotel, restaurants, a museum, and other attractions, sees over 1 million visitors per year. Car buyers take delivery of their purchases via a fully automated procedure whereby the automobile is plucked robotically from a cubbyhole in one of the two "twin towers," each of which holds up to 400 vehicles, and brought to its owner on a special elevator.
Image credit notes: The top image has been previously credited in news stories to AP photographer Fabian Bimmer, who in all likelihood is also responsible for the second one.
Sources and further reading:
Autostadt InfoSite
Official Volkswagen Autostadt information siteAutostadt: High-Rise Delivery at Volkswagen
Elevator World, 23 Ocotber 2001IT Drives Volkswagen's Autostadt
Computerworld, 11 August 2003
Last updated: 05/11/06
