by Minh Tran

Created on: September 02, 2008   Last Updated: November 25, 2008

Deutsches Historisches Museum (Museum of German History) locates in the best quarters of Berlin, where a lot of Berliner attractions like Museum Insel, the Humboldt University, and the Neuen Wache are situated. The slogan of the museum is "German history through images and testimonies". As signified by its name, the collection of the museum covers the history of Germany from Roman Empire era to modern time. In addition, as Germany traditionally plays an important role in Europe, visitors can get a glimpse about European history as well.

The museum consists of two buildings separated by a courtyard which was used to host the Prussian king's collection of cannons (There are still some authentic Prussian cannons there). The old building (dated from the nineteenth century) houses the permanent collection, while the new one (called the "Pei building" and built after the unification of Germany) is used as display venue for temporary exhibitions as well as an information centre. The difference in architectural style is noticeable, yet the general view is still harmonious.

The items of the permanent collection of the museum, original or reproduced, encompass all aspects of life from social to personal levels. True to the slogan, they consist of everything one can think of: portraits of important figures, artworks of various topics, letters and documents, weapons and working tools, clothes and furnitures, etc. Naturally, they are arranged chronologically and according to the part of life they belong to: politics, military, culture/art or everyday life with emphasis on significant historical events. The meaning of each item is detailedly explained, and there is a quite thorough introduction about each historical era of Germany in the context of European and world history (after all, Germany has been an important power in the world). In fact, quite a few artifacts are not about Germany but other countries. Besides text, there are also other media to guide visitors through the collection such as 3-D models or flash presentations. I especially like the two pictures that change depending on angle of view at the entry and exit of the collection. They are set there to express the gist of the study of history: reconstructing a vibrant past from small, easy-to-pass-by details. The amount of information is quite overwhelming so one should plan at least 3 hours in order to have a fruitful visit.

I have little thing to say about the temporary exhibition section as the name speaks for itself. This part of the museum is about very specific topics in German history. Some of them are little known so one can have noteworthy discoveries here.

The main language of the museum is naturally German, with English translation. Unfortunately, the English text is not available for smaller items, which in my opinion are quite fascinating by their own rights. The audio guide is available in a wider range of languages, but it is not included in the entrance fee, which means that one has to pay for them separately. Other than the language barrier, everything is good and well in this museum. For those who are interested in history, Deusches Historisches Museum is definitely a place to be.

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