Bundeswehr Military History Museum The Bundeswehr Military History Museum ( ) is the military museum of the German Armed Forces , the " Bundeswehr " , and one of the major military history museums in Germany . It is located in a former military arsenal in the Albertstadt which is part of Dresden . After a long history of switching titles and approaches to military history , the museum was re - opened in 2011 with a new internal and external concept . The museum focuses on the human aspects of war , while also showcasing the evolution of German military technology . Architecture . The original building , the armory , was built between 1873 - 1876 and became a museum in 1897 . Originally the Saxon armory and museum , the building has served as a Nazi museum , a Soviet museum and an East German museum which reflected the region ' s shifting social and political positions over the last 135 years . In 1989 , the museum was closed because the newly unified German state was unsure how the museum would fit into the history being created . By 2001 , feelings regarding the museum had shifted and an architectural competition was held for an extension which would cause visitors to reconsider the way they think about war . Before opening in October 2011 as the Bundeswehr Military History Museum , the building underwent six years of extensive construction . Using the design of architect Daniel Libeskind , the Neo - Classicist facade on the historic arsenal has been interrupted . Libeskind added a transparent arrowhead to the façade of the building , creating an outwardly visible expression of innovation . The architect wanted to penetrate the historic arsenal and create a new experience with the addition . The openness and transparency of the new façade , representing the openness of democratic society , contrasts with the rigidity of the existing building , which represents the severity of the authoritarian past . The silver arrowhead protrudes from the center of the traditional Neo - Classical building and provides a five story , 98 foot high viewing platform which overlooks the evolving city . The platform provides views of modern Dresden while pointing towards the area where the fire bombings of Dresden began . The redesigned Dresden Museum of Military history has become the main museum of the German Armed Forces . The building itself is 14 , 000 square meters and has an inside and outside exhibition area of about 20 , 000 square meters , making it Germany ' s largest museum . In every aspect , the museum is designed to alter the public ' s perception of war . Museum history . The original armory building was completed in 1876 as an armory for Kaiser Wilhelm I . The Arsenal main building in the center of Dresden ' s Albert City served as an armory for roughly twenty years , until it was transformed into a museum in 1897 . Since then , the main building of the arsenal has housed the Royal Arsenal Collection , the Royal Saxon Army Museum , and in 1923 became the Saxon Army Museum . After 1938 , the museum became the Army Museum of the Wehrmacht , and in 1972 the Army Museum of the GDR . Seven months before the reunification of Germany , the museum was renamed the Military History Museum in Dresden . On February 13 and 14 , 1945 , British bomber planes commenced an air attack against Dresden , creating a vast firestorm below . During the first phase , 244 Lancaster bombers dropped high explosive and incendiary bombs aimed at the center of the city . American B - 17 bombers followed the next morning , to destroy the city ' s railroad marshaling yards . While much of the city was in ruins , the Bundeswehr ' s main military museum survived the bombing of Dresden because of its location on the city ' s outskirts . The building withstood World War II attacks on Germany and continued to be used as a military museum until it was closed in 1989 . It re - opened again in 2011 and provided a new way of presenting military history . Inside the museum . The museum has made an effort to distance itself from the usual presentations of military history . Instead of glorifying war and armies , the museum tries to present the causes and consequences of war and violence . The focus is placed on the human component of war , on the hopes , fears , passion , courage , memories and aspirations of those involved . The museum seeks to inform visitors about the military history while encouraging them to ask questions and seek new answers . Visitors can go through the museum through two approaches : thematic sections , and a chronological tour . Additionally , the museum showcases the history of Military Technology , Handguns , Uniforms and Insignia , Order , Art , an Image Archive , Records , and a Library . The museum houses a vast collection of military history , from technology and handguns to artistic renderings of war . Traditionally , military museums focus primarily on weapons technology and the glamorous representation of national armed forces ; they impress visitors by shows of military power and display wars in isolation from other historic events . The Bundeswher Military History Museum has made an effort to be a different kind of military museum . It displays war and the military as being interwoven in the general history of a nation , and showcases the ramifications of war in the political , cultural and social history . The focus , instead of being on the greater good or the military whole , is always on the individual who exercises violence or suffers from it . Eleven themed tours are offered and three chronologies : 1300 - 1914 , 1914 - 1945 and 1945 - today . Military Technology . In the Military Technology section of the museum , objects are displayed which have been assigned to three main groups . These are : Large Equipment and ammunition , Device and Equipment , and Scale - based Replicas and Models . Over 800 land , air and see vehicles , along with over 1 , 000 guns , hand guns , rockets and flamethrowers have been collected for the museum . Additionally , this section includes a large collection of military space technology . While the collection in this section focuses on devices used by the military , with over 45 , 000 objects belonging to the military , there are also witness accounts to accompany the display . Witnesses describe the life and suffering of civilians during wartime . Handguns . The valuable and extensive collection of handguns is considered one of the most important collections in Germany ' s museum landscape . This is especially due to the large proportion of Saxon weapons on display . Included in the museum are 4 , 250 firearms spanning from rifles , carbines and machine guns , as well as 3 , 250 handguns such as pistols and revolvers that make up the collection of Feuerwaffen . Additionally , several experimental weapons are included in the collection . There are also cutting and stabbing weapons in this section . The collection includes roughly 1 , 700 sabers , swords and broadswords ; almost 1 , 100 bayonets , 800 daggers , 400 Faschinenmesser and 400 polearms . Uniforms . Military uniforms are influenced by the politics of the time , along with culture , ideology , and the economy . Examining the story of uniforms helps one understand the thinking of a certain era . Within the Bundeswehr Military History Museum , the display of uniforms is considered one of the most meaningful exhibitions . This section includes mostly German uniforms , especially those from the late 19th Century to present due to the state of preservation . Also included are some uniforms , insignia and regalia of foreign forces , particularly of other European nations . These are also used to represent allies to the German state in exhibitions . The collection includes almost 70 , 000 field uniforms . In addition to outerwear , underwear , shoes , headgear , and military equipment are on display , along with badges , musical instruments and banners . One remarkable piece within the collection is the Spencer jacket from 1805 which belonged to Queen Louise , the " Sissi Prussia " , mother of the first German Emperor Wilhelm I . Art . Along with relics of military history , the museum contains a fairly extensive art collection , the foundation of which was laid in 1857 by Officer Ludwig Georg von Wurmb who brought together images depicting the history of the Royal Saxon Army . Nearly 1 , 100 paintings , 500 sculptures , 12 , 000 drawings and prints have been added to the early collection by an eclectic group of artists including Jacques Callog , William Campenhausen , Max Liebermann , Lea Grundig and Bernhard Heisig . All the pieces include the theme of war and military . Image archive . The image archive houses a collection of preserved paper photographs , pictures , photo postcard s , photo albums , picture negatives , and slides of German and international military history . Nearly one million artifacts are housed in this section which focuses on everyday life of the German armed forces . The images archive the formation , equipment and training of armed forces past and present . While professional images are showcased , so are amateur photographers from both World War . Particularly noteworthy in this section are photographs of Dresden by Willy Rossner and Soviet war photographer G . Samsonov . Records . The records collection showcases the written history of the military from the 17th Century to the present . Almost 150 , 000 objects which reference the military are held in the collection . These include the personal documents of soldiers such as military passports , diaries , or letters and provide a comprehensive review of military life . Emphasis is placed on the collection of posters , cards , leaflets , newspapers and magazines . There is also an audio component of this section which plays extensive interviews with eyewitnesses to military life . These give personal perspective into the political communication strategies and social values of the times in which they occurred . Library / Technical Information Center . The museum library not only serves as a way to showcase the museum collection , but is also a center for research , scientific work , and teaching . It includes over 45 , 000 documents , including 1 , 000 historic and valuable books and magazines . The books range from subjects of military affairs , general history , military history , military technology , hand and fire weapons , medals , uniforms , photography and art , and conservation efforts . Inside the library are 36 , 000 volumes of monographs from 1851 to the present , 1 , 000 rare books from the 16th century to 1850 , about 7 , 500 service regulations from the Prussian and Saxon army , as well as newspapers and magazines both past and present . Use of the library is available to military personnel and library employees . Non - military members are granted access to the reading room if they apply ahead of time via telephone or through written application .