Adenauer's Mercedes, a cinema from the 1950s and a railroad carriage - the Bonn Museum brings German history to life. The museum also addresses contemporary issues in one section of the permanent exhibition. Visitors can learn more about globalization, migration and digitalization.
The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn is one of the most popular and most visited museums in Germany. Every year, around 850,000 visitors flock to Bonn to marvel at German history from the post-war period to the present day on 4,000 square meters of exhibition space.
Backgrounds and contexts are conveyed at interactive media stations using historical film and audio documents: The permanent exhibition presents around 7000 finds from German political, economic, cultural and everyday history since 1945 in chronological order.
Stones from the Berlin Wall and the hippie van
These include, for example, the Chancellor's railroad saloon car, Konrad Adenauer's official Mercedes, benches from the old Bonn plenary chamber and a cinema from the 1950s. Original stones from the Berlin Wall and the hippie van are also part of the colorful collection. Historical events, developments and trends such as the Cold War, the division of Germany into East and West and reconstruction all have their place.
And what about today? In a new section, the museum makes references to current topics. Visitors learn more about globalization, the migration debate, digitalization and terrorism. Both positive and negative aspects of German history are addressed and presented in an understandable way.
In addition to the popular permanent exhibition, the museum offers numerous temporary and traveling exhibitions. The museum also has a caricature gallery on the opposite side of the Museum Mile with one of the largest collections of political caricatures. A Roman cellar with excavated treasures in the basement of the main building is a reminder of a whole other era in the country.
The Haus der Geschichte also organizes guided tours of the former government district, Palais Schaumburg and the Chancellor's Bungalow. Travelers should also take a look at the Museum Alexander König, the Kunstmuseum Bonn or the Bundeskunsthalle during a planned museum day.
