The Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, previously named ''German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst'' (Deutsch-Russisches Museum Berlin-Karlshorst) is dedicated to German-Soviet and German-Russian relations with a focus on the

German-Soviet war The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

of 1941–1945.

The museum building

The museum is located at the historical venue of the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces (

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

) on

8 May 1945 Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

. With this act of ratification in

Karlshorst Karlshorst (, ; ; literally meaning ''Karl's nest'') is a locality in the borough of Lichtenberg in Berlin. It is home to a harness racing track, the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (''HTW''), the largest University of Applied Scien ...

of the instrument of surrender signed the day before in

Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

came to an end in Europe. The building was the officers' mess of the Wehrmacht pioneer school and then the headquarters of the

Soviet Military Administration in Germany The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (; ''Sovyetskaya Voyennaya Administratsiya v Germanii'', SVAG; , SMAD) was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin- Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone in German ...

. In 1949 at this location the Soviets handed over administrative authority to the first government of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(GDR). From 1967 to 1994 the building contained a branch of the “Central Museum of Armed Forces Moscow” featuring the unconditional surrender of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

. After German-Soviet agreements on the withdrawal of

Soviet armed forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

from Germany in 1990, Germany and the Soviet Union decided to jointly recollect in the museum the history of the German-Soviet war and the end of Nazi rule. After restructuring the permanent exhibition, the German-Russian Museum opened to the public in May 1995.

Permanent exhibition

The permanent exhibition, which attracts about 40,000 visitors annually, conveys on approximately 1,000 square meters an impression of the history of German-Soviet relations from 1917 to 1990. The focus is on the German-Soviet War 1941–1945, including the political background, propaganda and hostile stereotypes, and the day-to-day life of soldiers and civilians on both sides of this conflict during different phases of the war. The heart of the museum is the surrender room, which is in its original state and where a film continuously shows the signing the Act of Surrender in 1945. It has been noted that the United States of America's smaller table flag is incorrect (it displays the 1960 fifty-star version; not contemporary to the 1945 event). In addition to the redesigned modern exhibition rooms, parts of the original Soviet exhibition designed for Soviet soldiers stationed in Berlin can also be seen, as well as monuments from Soviet times. On the grounds there is a memorial in which a Soviet

T-34 tank The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than many of its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, ...

is integrated on a pedestal, as well as an exhibit of large items of Soviet military equipment from World War II and the postwar period.

Special exhibits and other activities

Two to three times a year the museum presents special exhibits in a room of about 100 square meters which became available at the end of 1997. Topics include memories of the war as well as subjects relating to German-Soviet/Russian relations. The museum staff draws on its extensive collection of documents, war relics and photographs to prepare these exhibits. Parts of these special exhibits have been shown in other German, Russian and Ukrainian cities. In addition to the displays, for each special exhibit the museum publishes a catalog in German and Russian which is usually also available in the book trade. Other activities include scientific colloquia, conferences, educational museum tours for school classes, and thematic study tours to

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

and Russia. By means of its exhibits and public events the museum strives to create a space for a critical analysis of history, for education, for encounters, and for increased understanding between Germans and Russians. A museum celebration takes place annually on May 8, the date World War II ended in Europe.

Board of trustees

The Museum Berlin-Karlshorst is a so-far unique bi-national institution supported by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Russian Federation. The board of trustees was jointly established in 1994 and contains an equal number of German and Russian bodies. The chairmanship alternates between the General Director of the

German Historical Museum The German Historical Museum (), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans". It is ofte ...

and the Director of the Central Museum of Armed Forces Moscow. Additional board members include representatives of the Great Patriotic War Museums in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

and

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Collections

The collection contains many objects from the Central Museum of Armed Forces Moscow. In addition there are items and loans from other German and Eastern European collections, gifts and legacies. The museum collects documents, posters, items revealing day-to-day military life during the war, militaria with an emphasis on military medicine, and photographs. The image archive contains primarily photographs taken by Soviet and German professional and amateur photographers during the war. The museum has a specialized library on German-Soviet relations with a focus on the war on the Eastern Front. It contains some 3,000 volumes as well as an extensive collection of photographs and can be consulted by outside users for research purposes on request.

References

External links

Offizielle Homepage des Museums Berlin-Karlshorst
{{Authority control Museums in Berlin Buildings and structures in Lichtenberg Eastern Front (World War II) World War II museums in Germany Germany–Russia relations