German Historical Museum Berlin

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The German Historical Museum (GHM) is located in two distinct buildings that create a captivating dialogue between various architectural styles in Berlin. At the beginning of Unter den Linden boulevard stands the Baroque Zeughaus (arsenal), which has housed the Museum of German History since 2005. Behind it is a modern exhibition hall designed by renowned architect Ieoh Ming Pei, showcasing numerous special exhibitions. The Zeughaus, with its delicate pink façade and intricate sculptures, is one of the few remaining Baroque structures in central Berlin, reflecting the grandeur of the architecture that once adorned the residence of Prussian electors and kings. Originally serving as a weather-resistant storage for military equipment, it also conveyed the image of Friedrich I, the first King of Prussia, as a Baroque ruler during the age of absolutism. This image is evident in the building's architecture and its prestigious location near the royal Hohenzollern palace, which was destroyed after World War II by the East German government. Today, little remains of the original Baroque design or the extensive 19th-century alterations, most of which were lost in the war. The interior was rebuilt post-1945, and the exterior restored, with the building serving as East Berlin’s Museum of German History from 1952. The spatial structure established during that time has been preserved in the recent renovation by Winfried Brenne Architekten