Zeughaus (Armoury)

Zeughaus (Armoury)
Source: pixelio.de Photographer: Birgit

Anyone interested in baroque architecture should definitely pay a visit to the Berlin Armoury. The building was originally built in the year 1706 as weapon’s arsenal. The armoury is designed with four wings, each of which is approximately 90 metres long. This design results in a courtyard which was even then named in memory of its construction manager – ‘Schlüterhof’. During the war with the Prussian army in the 19th Century, the arsenal was developed into a fortress.

This also included a museum and an extensive exhibition. Like so many buildings in Berlin the Armoury was severely damaged during the course of World War II. The reconstruction work started promptly in 1949 however, this work spanned over a stretch of more than 15 years.

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Despite this the arsenal had already re-opened its doors by 1952. Since then the German History museum has been housed in this building; originally known as the ‘museum of German history’. In the eighties and nineties however, the building fell rapidly into disrepair so it had to be closed for a long period of time in order for the long awaited restoration work to be carried out. Only in the 2000’s was the arsenal able to re-open. Located next to the aforementioned German Historical Museum one can also find the permanent exhibition ‘German History in Images and Testimonials’ in this building. For this reason in 2003 a new extension was built, designed by the world-famous architect I.M. Pei.

A visit to the armoury should be obligatory for any culture-interested visitors to Berlin.

Visitorinformation

Adress: Deutsches Historisches Museum Zeughaus, Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin

Openings: daily 10am to 6pm, closed on 24. and 25. December

Website: http://www.dhm.de

Zeughaus (Armoury)

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