Profile of the museum: Dresden

Context instead of a hall of fame

In the past, military history museums primarily served as venues for displaying weaponry and as halls of fame for national armed forces. They were often called army museums and sought to impress visitors with displays of military prowess. This was typically achieved through a chronology of triumphs and the display of trophies, largely detached from broader historical contexts. Military history was limited to battles, victory parades, developments in weapons technology and biographies of outstanding heroes.

A selection of bombs hanging from the ceiling as if they were falling.

Violence as a topic in military history

The Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr takes a broader approach. It examines the military and war in all their interconnections with politics, society, culture and the economy. The exhibition also confronts visitors with their own potential for aggression and examines organized violence as a historical, cultural and anthropological phenomenon. Is aggression perhaps inherent in every human being in evolutionary terms? Is it as natural and unavoidable as the need to sleep or drink? Or is the violent side of our nature primarily shaped and influenced by culture?

The Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr is a history museum that presents a cultural history of violence, building on its core expertise in military history. It aims to inform, encourage reflection and provide evidence-based answers.

Mission statement

The mission statement defines the core principles, values, and goals of the work at the Military History Museum.

Who we are

We are the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr, located at three historic sites in Dresden, Berlin-Gatow and Königstein.

We are civilian and military personnel of the Bundeswehr. As members of staff, we bring a wide range of professional and life experience to our work. We are the central institution for the study of German military history.

We understand military history as part of a cultural history of violence. In doing so, we place military history in relation to technological, economic, political, environmental and social history.

What we do

We work in accordance with international museum and academic standards.

As the lead museum in the Museum and Collection Network of the Bundeswehr, we support other collections and provide training for members of the Bundeswehr. In close cooperation with the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr, our supervising authority, we develop professional museum standards for the network.

We collect and preserve historical artefacts, and document and research their histories.

In our multi-perspective exhibitions, we address key historical questions and present exhibits in their respective contexts.

We communicate and publish the results of our work across a range of media.

We are a place of learning for historical and political education. We offer a variety of formats for members of the Bundeswehr and for our visitors, enabling them to engage with history in diverse ways.

We contribute historical perspectives to contemporary social debates and promote the Bundeswehr’s value-based understanding of tradition. In doing so, we support the armed forces in their mission of national and collective defence.

Our values

As a museum of the Bundeswehr, we are committed to the values of the liberal democratic constitutional order.

We stand for free democratic discourse and academic freedom.

As civilian and military members of the Bundeswehr, we work together in a spirit of camaraderie, collegiality, respect and equality to achieve our goals.

We regard our diverse experiences and perspectives as a source of enrichment.

We value the work of each and every individual.

We cultivate an open culture of discussion in which mistakes are viewed as opportunities for improvement.

We reflect on our work and continue to develop.

Our objectives

Through our work, we seek to create a museum for everyone.

We offer visitors a forum for open and critical debate on key issues in German military history, enabling them to develop their own independent historical judgement.

As members of the museum team, we make an important and lasting contribution to both the museum and society.

We preserve and expand the largest and most significant museum collection on German military history.

Our research makes a substantial contribution to historical scholarship.

We continuously expand and strengthen our professional network.

Through our unconventional approach across all areas of our work, we set new standards.

Download our mission statement

You can download our mission statement here.