German History from the Middle Ages to the Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Permanent Exhibition of the German Historical Museum provides insight into around 1500 years of Germany’s past. Around 7000 historical artefacts tell of people, ideas, events and historical developments from the 5th century to the end of the 20th century.

The introductory section is devoted to changes in the boundaries of Germany and Europe and to the history of the German language. From there the tour through the exhibition examines political history as it was, and still is, shaped by rulers, politicians and constituted communities. It does not claim to present a comprehensive history of everyday routines, work and living conditions, but in many different ways it provides a view of the everyday life of various groups of society.

The exhibition occupies two entire floors of the Zeughaus, the former armoury. On the tour through the exhibition you pass through a series of chronologically arranged historical epochs. The upper floor covers history up to the end of the First World War. The tour continues on the main floor through areas devoted to the Weimar Republic, the Nazi regime, the post-war period as well as the history of the two German states from 1949 to reunification in 1990, followed by the departure of the Allied Forces in 1994.