Militaria II Collection

The Militaria collections can be traced back to the Royal Prussian Army Museum, which opened in the Zeughaus in 1883. The objects still existing from this period, along with the numerous items added later, are preserved at the Deutsches Historisches Museum in the two collections Militaria I: Weapons, Armour, Military Equipment and Militaria II: Uniforms, Flags, Medals and Ribbons of Honour, Militaria Prints.

The Militaria II collection comprises around 20,000 objects, ranging from original uniforms of the army of King Friedrich II of Prussia to the Bundeswehr’s modern field uniforms; from the standards of the Electorate of Brandenburg to the flags of the working-class combat groups of the GDR; from the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle to the Federal Cross of Merit; and from coloured copperplate engravings to digitally created diagrams illustrating uniform design.

A key focus of the collection is on the Prussian-German armies. The four militaria sub-collections are closely interlinked and complement one another. Despite heavy losses during the Second World War, these military artefacts still rank among the most significant collections in Germany and Europe for cultural history.