Originally intended for teaching purposes, the museum in the grounds of the Panzertruppenschule - the German Army's school training officers for the armoured corps - has been open since the beginning of the 1980s, covering an exhibition area of around 5,000m˛ near the school, including two open-air exhibitions. The centrepieces of the collection are a virtually complete set of Wehrmacht vehicles, various medals and documentation relating to military history. Tanks from the British army, US army, Soviet armed forces and of course the German Federal Army are also featured. A replica of an A7V assault tank from the First World War – the only combat vehicle of its kind in Europe, the newly-restored King Tiger and the futuristic Swedish Stridswagen are all equally impressive. Closed on Mondays – except public holidays – and between December and March. Guided tours are available.
» www.munster.de
The Airforce Museum of the German Federal Armed Forces is located in Gatow at the former military airfield. It presents an exhibition of German military aviation and the air force, from its beginnings to the present day. Runways, hangars and the barracks to the south were constructed in 1934/35 as part of an elite training centre for officers and general staff officers. On the former Gatow airfield, in hangars and around the control tower which now houses a museum, many military vehicles and air defence systems from the First World War onwards are on display. There is considerable emphasis on the history of the West German Federal Armed Forces and the East German National People's Army and their alliances, from the period of confrontation to the actual reunification of Germany in 1990. Closed on Mondays. Guided tours on request.
» www.luftwaffenmuseum.de
The German Naval Museum depicts German naval history since 1848 and focuses on the German Federal Navy in particular. It documents almost 160 years of German Navies, explaining their changing roles and relating their stories through the years On its 3,000m˛ site, the museum takes you on a journey through the eventful history of Germany and her naval forces, featuring warships from the West German Federal Navy and the East German People’s Navy such as the U10 submarine and the old mine hunter “Weilheim”, and also a variety of temporary exhibitions. The largest accessible exhibit is the former destroyer “Mölders”. In the summer months, a historical tour of the harbour completes the visit to the museum. Guided tours are available.
» www.marinemuseum.de
Located on the site of the largest airship field during the First World War, the Aeronauticum in Nordholz near Cuxhaven presents amazing exhibits, impressive models, original aircraft and much, much more. The museum comprises a hall and 36,000m˛ of open space on the edge of the airship field first used in 1913, now home to Naval Air Squadron 3 “Graf Zeppelin”. The exhibition is divided into six parts: airship technology, naval airships, civilian airship travel, Nordholz airship field, sea aircraft and naval aircraft from 1913 to the present day, with additional special exhibitions. The collection also includes an extensive specialist library, numerous photos and documents and approximately 6,000 drawings.
» www.aeronauticum.de
The Bavarian Army Museum at the New Castle in Ingolstadt is the oldest and most important military history museum in Germany. The collection of weapons, equipment, uniforms, flags, standards, paintings and medals gives an impression of military developments from the late Middle Ages to the First World War. The main focus of the exhibition is the Bavarian Army. The exhibition comprises all of the uniforms worn by Bavarian kings and all the flags and standards of the Royal Bavarian Army in the 1914 formation. Some of the most notable exhibits include helmets, weaponry and an elaborately-decorated bell tent brought back as booty from the wars against the Turks in the 17th and 18th centuries. The largest section of the Bavarian Army library, which is part of the museum, is housed in the bomb-proof former wartime bakery at Ingolstadt fortress. Closed on Mondays.
» www.bayerisches-armeemuseum.de
This former beer cellar was converted into a laboratory cave during the Second World War and is now a museum. Until April 1945, German scientists worked feverishly in these rooms to create a nuclear reactor. The facility was of such significance that despite the cellar being located right in the middle of the French-occupied zone, it was secured by an American special task force at the end of the war and the scientists were taken prisoner. An authentic reconstruction of the reactor, various information panels and models, and a replica of Otto Hahn's laboratory bench illustrate the state of developments at the time. Closed December – February. Guided tours on request.
» www.haigerloch.de
The military museum in Kulmbach, opened in 1999 and housed within in the most important Hohenzollern fortress, displays the largest collection of early Prussian militaria, dating from 1700 to 1806, in 32 glass cases. The museum gives an overview of the history, equipment and social circumstances of the early Prussian army. More than 100 daggers, swords and broadswords, around 40 rifles, carbines and pistols, almost 30 pole arms and four figures from the Windsheimer collection bring the image of the Prussian army to life. Museum highlights include nine extremely rare flags and contemporary oil paintings. The exhibits include rarities such as the last complete grenadier sabre from the reign of Frederick the Great, and a model of a field gun like those used around 1740. Closed on 24-25, 31 December, 1 January and Shrove Tuesday. Guided tours on request.
» www.kulmbach.de
This bunker in Kossa near Friedrichshütte was opened as a military museum in 2002 on a 75 hectares site. The underground military command post from the Cold War is the only one of four similar former GDR facilities that remains largely in its original condition today, including extensive stationary and mobile military, communications and signal engineering equipment, historical German and Russian military vehicles, staff identification cards, etc. Guided tours only.
» www.bunker-kossa.de
The museum of military and contemporary history in Stammheim am Main displays a wide historical range, from the occupation of the region by Napoleon around 1800 through the First and Second World Wars and the invasion of American troops in 1945 to the German Federal Army. The historical military aspect of these periods is illustrated by letters, chronicles and pictures, by uniforms, flags and medals, as well as weapons, equipment and tools. However, the exhibition also gives detailed accounts of the fates met by some individuals. Soldiers' quarters from the time of the East German National People's Army reminds visitors of the GDR's military history. The German Federal Army as a modern conscription army is a key element of the exhibition. Closed on Mondays and during the month of January. Guided tours on request.
» www.museum-stammheim.de
