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Exterior view of the Zeughaus in the Mitte district.
漏 visitBerlin, Foto: Artfully Media, Sven Christian Schramm
Courtyard of the Zeughaus in Berlin.
漏 Deutsches Historisches Museum
View from the Pei Building onto the Zeughaus.
漏 visitBerlin, Foto: Mo Wüstenhagen
View from Berlin Cathedral to the German Historical Museum (bottom right of the picture).
The Zeughaus in Berlin-Mitte is not only the oldest but also one of the most beautiful buildings on the magnificent boulevard Unter den Linden. The former weapons arsenal housed the German Historical Museum for many years.
The Zeughaus is the oldest building on the street Unter den Linden. The Baroque building was constructed in 1695 on the initiative of Elector Frederick III as an armory and is located opposite the Berlin Palace. Four architects were involved in its construction. The design was provided by architect Johann Arnold Nering. After his death, Martin Grünberg took over the construction planning. Three years later, Andreas Schlüter followed. During Schlüter's construction period, parts of the building collapsed, so Jean de Bodt continued the work from 1699 onwards. The interior of the armory was not completed until 1730.
The armoury has a square inner courtyard. The four fronts surrounding the courtyard each have two storeys and are similarly simple in design. Only the façade on Unter den Linden street was designed to be more ornate. The balustrades on the roof are adorned with 44 simple figures wearing helmets and armor. Twelve larger trophy groups arranged in a pyramid shape also adorn the balustrade. While the façade at the front celebrates victory with its figures, the depictions in the courtyard show the suffering of war: Schlüter uses 22 masks to depict the agony of dying warriors.
After initially serving as an armory, the Zeughaus was converted into the Prussian-Brandenburg Hall of Fame and Army Museum between 1877 and 1881. During the Nazi era, the building was requisitioned by the Nazi regime. It was severely damaged during the war and burned down. After the war, it was rebuilt under the direction of various architects. From 1952 onwards, the GDR regime used the armory as the central socialist history museum of the GDR, the Museum of German History. After reunification, the German Historical Museum moved in. In 2003, a modern extension was added to the Baroque building.
漏 Deutsches Historisches Museum
More than 7,000 exclusive exhibits from the German Historical Museum's collections, whose historical testimonial value is utterly unique, are displayed over 8,000 square metres, presenting a lively, vivid tableau of German history. more
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The TV Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and the Reichstag building - no other Berlin district has more sights than Mitte. more