The Germanisches Nationalmuseum, as its official name is in German, is one of the largest museums of its kind in the whole of Germany. It traces the entire cultural history of the German nation and its predecessors from prehistoric times to the present day.

The depositories of the Germanic National Museum contain 1.3 million objects, of which around 25,000 are on permanent display.

The museum was founded in 1852 in a Gothic monastery, which has been extended several times with new modern buildings.

The museum's collections and what to see

The National Museum of German Culture traces the virtually complete history of the nations that preceded today's Germany. The collections are divided into 17 different sections where you can enjoy everyday objects, art collections of statues, paintings or jewellery and much more.

The museum is divided into the following halls:

History of the museum - mainly text and photographic part
Prehistory and early history - the collection includes mainly archaeological finds from the Paleolithic to the Charlemagne period. Among the most valuable exhibits is a statue of a golden hat from the Bronze Age
The Middle Ages - the collection includes archaeological finds, especially everyday objects
Late Middle Ages - to the previous collection are added works of art from the late Middle Ages, especially statuettes
Everyday culture to 1700 - collections of small art and leisure objects from the late medieval and early modern periods
Weapons, armour, hunting trophies
Historical Musical Instruments - a collection of 3,000 objects from the 15th to 20th centuries is one of the largest of its kind in the world
Art and Industry Collection - a collection of objects of industrial or everyday use with an artistic overlap from the 14th to the 20th century
Renaissance and Baroque Enlightenment - art collections of valuable objects, among the most famous is the Ardennes Cross
Scientific instruments - you will find a variety of mathematical, physical, chemical or astronomical instruments from the 15th to the 20th century
Medicine and crafts - a collection of medical and craft instruments from the origins of medicine to the present day
Decorative arts before 1800 - an extensive collection of mainly German paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture
Textiles and jewellery before 1700
Folklore - the department traces German rural life from the Middle Ages to the present day
19th century art
20th century art
Toy Collection - contains nearly 20,000 toys and games for adults from the 16th century to the present day