“Collecting for Germany?” The museum under four forms of government

The tour through the exhibition section dedicated to the history of the building offers an insight into how collection and exhibition practices have evolved throughout German history under various forms of government. Starting with the suits of armour in the 'Hall of Fame of the Brandenburg-Prussian Army', the tour continues through the last field uniform worn by Emperor Wilhelm II in the Military Museum during the Nazi regime and on to the Soviet 'Friendship Flag of Krivoy Rog' in the GDR`s Museum of German History.

Matthias Koeppel’s famous painting, '… und alles wird wieder gut' provides an ironic illustration of German reunification. The unified museum offers a retrospective look at the long and by no means straightforward path towards becoming a democratic, multi-perspective museum.

The DHM continues this exemplary collection practice to this day in the second part of the exhibition. At the end of the tour, a bunk bed from an initial reception centre for refugees is on display. It came into the collection in 2016 through Walter Lübcke, whose subsequent murder by right-wing extremists also highlights the persistence of anti-democratic ideologies.

In German.

Location:
Deutsches Historisches Museum, Pei-Bau
Hinter dem Gießhaus 3, 10117 Berlin 

The exhibition is inclusive and largely barrier-free.