The Deutsches Historisches Museum Collection, Berlin

     

The German History Museum is not a military museum as such but a museum on the general and social history of Germany from pre-Roman times to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Of course any history of Germany would be incomplete without a display on Germany's short lived colonies.

The museum is housed in the former arsenal, the Zeughaus on Unter den Linden. The whole area is steeped in German history. An assassination attempt was made on Adolf Hitler in the courtyard of the museum, a statue of Frederick the Great of Prussia stands outside and the famous Brandenburg Gate and German Reichstag are just down the street.

DEUTSCHES HISTORISCHES MUSEUM
Zeughaus und Ausstellungshalle
Unter den Linden 2
10117 Berlin

The Museum's website is at-
www.dhm.de

 
     


The Colonial display at the German Historical Museum

   
A Tropical Helmet as worn by the III. Seebataillon in China. This may be a trial helmet as it has the khaki covering of the 1905 helmet and the white metal eagle of the 1898 helmet.   A German national flag. This one was carried by Hermann von Wissmann during his campaign against the Abushiri Rebellion in German East Africa in 1889. It's has several visible field repairs and it's flagpole is an African spear.   A South West African Schutztruppe corduroy Litewka tunic.
     

 
 The standard of the German 1st East Asian Infantry Regiment stationed in China between 1900-09.   A tunic belonging to Prince Chun of China. As part of the Boxer Protocol treaty at the end of the Boxer Rebellion, China had to send an emissary to Berlin to personally apologise to Kaiser Wilhelm II for the murder of the German ambassador Baron von Ketteler. Prince Chun made the trip and took the opportunity to tour Europe.
         

Other Interesting Exhibits at the DHM

         
   
A Pickelhaube from the Berlin Gendarmerie.   A Pickelhaube from the II (Reuss) Battalion of the 96th Infantry Regiment.   A steel helmet from the Freikorps.
         


A painting by Anton von Werner showing the inauguration of the Reichstag by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1888


A section of the Berlin Wall

...in short, a visit to the Deutsches Historisches Museum Collection, Berlin is a great day out...
See the
DHM website for directions, details of prices and opening times.

All photographs on this page taken by C Dale © 2011

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