A museum dedicated to The Beatles has opened in Hamburg, Germany.

The former Erotic Art Museum now houses 1,300sq m (14,000sq ft) of exhibition space split into eleven rooms documenting the story of the band's legendary rise to stardom, beginning with the signing of their first record deal in Hamburg during the 1960s.

Visitors begin their trip down memory lane at the Port of Entry, where a photo can be taken using the 1960s passport photo machine for insertion into an entrance ticket resembling a passport.

The next area features a reproduced street from the St Pauli nightclub district, where original photographs, contracts, drinks menus, flyers and receipts are displayed, before leading to a replica Backstage Area showing a filmed interview with the artist of the Revolver album, Klaus Voormann.

The Manager's Office contains the first ever Beatles recording contract with German producer Bert Kaempfert, while visitors can listen to a Beatles recording session and sing and record karaoke versions of selected tracks at the Abbey Road Studios.

The Bravo Blitz Tour celebrates the outbreak of Beatlemania, with videobeamers transporting visitors into the centre of a 1,000-strong crowd of screaming fans. The next room, the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, houses an oversized cover of the LP and replicas of the four costumes worn by The Beatles for the album cover.

The tour ends at the White Album, where a first pressing of the actual record can be viewed within the setting of a replica teenage fan's bedroom.

A café, shop and John & Paul's Fish & Chips snack bar can be accessed without purchasing a ticket for the exhibition.

The 10-month project cost owner FKP Ausstellungs-und Betriebsgesellschaft mbH around 2.5 million euro (£2.2 million, US$3.5 million) to construct.