German Historical Museum
Renovation Notice
Renovation work on the Zeughaus, home to the German Historical Museum, is expected to last until the end of 2025 and the survey exhibition on German history will be redesigned by then. The Zeughaus café will also close at the end of October and the Zeughaus cinema will move just north to the Pei-Bau at the turn of the year.
All temporary exhibitions will also be on display there: From 9 December, the multi-year exhibition Roads not Taken. Oder: Es hätte auch anders kommen können“ which uses 14 turning points in German history in the 19th and 20th centuries to show that there were often alternatives to historical events.
Housed in the Baroque Zeughaus on Unter den Linden, the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German historical museum) should not be missed. The museum reveals two centuries of German history.
With about 8,000 square meters and 7,000 exhibits you will want to allow plenty of time for your visit. Four hours is not an unreasonable amount of time to spend here and you could easily spend an entire day.
A tour of the Middle Ages to the Current Day
The chronological layout will lead you from the early Middle Ages to the current day.
Follow the conquests of Charlemagne, discover Luther's Theses, study the elements leading to World War II and learn about German reunification.
The items on display cover a broad range from art and everyday items, paintings of historical scenes, armour, a vacuum cleaner to GDR sheet music.
History
In 1987, Chancellor Helmut Kohl signed the founding document for the Museum on the 750th anniversary of the city. A historic moment changed everything. When the Berlin Wall fell, the still youthful Deutsches Historisches Museum Foundation received all pertinent collections and moved to the Zeughaus. The large permanent exhibition you see today opened in 2006.
Exhibits
"German history in images and artifacts" incorporates nine eras over two floors, filled with art and history. Walk chronologically through the upper floor starting with the Middle Ages. Here you will observe a collection of armour. You'll see filigree embroidered tunics that belonged to princes and knights from approx. 1750. From imperial times you can see two-wheeled penny farthing bikes and the first automobiles.
Descending to the first floor, you will discover photographs and old election signs from the Weimar Republic. The exhibits about in the years following World War II deal with the troublesome period of reparation. Here you will see actual CARE packages sent from the United States and maps of German occupied territories.
The tour then leads you to an actual fragment of the Berlin wall,continuing cronologially toward the nineties. All exhibitions in the museum look at historical developments, revolutionary events, and the people behind them. The exhibits offers insight into the great stories and the people behind them, but also, into the lives of ordinary people.
The museum also contains a 165 seat movie theatre where historical and thematic films are shown
Special Exhibitions
After visiting the permanent exhibition, be sure to check-out the special exhibitions housed in the modern Pei building. The Pei building, which opened in 2003, features a helical staircase and a steel and glass foyer.
Highlights
The 3.5 meter high Cape cross weapon column, made of stone (1486) painting by Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1529) 22 masks reliefs for dying giants, under the glass roof of the courtyard (Andreas Schlüter, circa 1690) relic from the battle of Waterloo: Napoleon's stitch hat (1815) Personal computer "PC 1715" of the GDR (1989)
Visiting the Deutsches Historisches Museum
Audio tours are available and recommended for the best experience.
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: YesGerman Historical Museum Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Address: Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Phone: 030 203040
Official Website: German Historical Museum
German Historical Museum Reviews
Rated out of 5
This place was pretty interesting for the Nature and German History section of the museum. The exhibitions were good throughout the beginning to the end, especially when one of the sections was about potatoes. The interior of the building was very modern with a cool entrance architecture. Although it wasn’t what we expected, it was very interesting to learn about some unique history about Germany itself. Would recommend this museum, but recommend the “Roads Not Taken” exhibit.
Nikolai Mannsfeld - a month ago
The German History Museum’s permanent exhibition is currently closed until 2026, so for now only two temporary exhibits are available — On Displaying Violence and Roads Less Taken. Both are very text-heavy and feel more like reading a book than exploring a museum, which can get a bit monotonous and time-consuming. That said, there are a few interesting artifacts and the content is quite informative. I’m curious to see what the permanent exhibition will be like once the renovation is complete, and definitely look forward to visiting again.
Vidya H - 4 months ago
Visited the Roads Not Taken exhibition. I spent a couple of hours working through this absorbing exhibition. It is an extraordinary journey through German history clearly telling an unfolding story of Germany's or her near neighbours' momentous historical decisions and how the world changed as a consequence. What may have happened if each decision had been a different was most intriguing. This is a worthwhile and so recommended visit.
Cliff Perry - 3 months ago
One of the best museums in Berlin and an absolute must visit for history lovers. You can spend hours there learning and reading about the history of Germany and enjoy what the museum has to offer. A very enjoyable experience.
Sam - 3 months ago
"We had a fantastic visit to the German Historical Museum with our class yesterday!Our exhibit guide Ms.Verena was incredibly helpful, making history come alive. The 'Nature and German History' exhibit was compact but packed with interesting insights. A great stop for anyone curious about Germany’s past! 🇩🇪
Sandra Villegas - 3 months ago
Directions
How to get to German Historical Museum by U-Bahn, S-Bahn
Nearest U-Bahn, S-Bahn Line(s): U6, S3, S5, S7, S9
Nearest U-Bahn, S-Bahn Station(s): U Friedrichstraße, S Hackescher Markt
The Deutsches Historisches Museum is best accessed by public transportation. Hackescher Markt and The Friedrichstraße S-Bahn stops are within a 10-minute walk.
From Hackescher Markt on the S-Bahn, follow the neue promonade west to Burgstraße, bear left (south), cross the bridge to Museum Island and continue right across the island and the next bridge to the museum entrance.
From Friedrichstraße on the U-Bahn, walk south on Friedrichstraße, go left on Dorotheenstraße to the river, go right to the bridge, go right again on Bodestraße (at the bridge) to the museum entrance.
Buses 100, 245, 300 State Opera or Lustgarten stop almost right in front of the entrance.
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Photo Gallery
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Photo Credit: Harald Groven - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: xiquinhosilva - cc license via Flickr
