1. Why is the Zeughaus closed?

The Zeughaus – a listed historic building that originally served as the royal armoury  – is currently closed for essential renovation work. During this time, the Deutsches Historisches Museum (DHM) is developing a new permanent exhibition, which will be presented in the Zeughaus once the renovations have been completed. In the meantime, the exhibition spaces, museum café, and Zeughauskino (museum cinema) have all had to be completely cleared.

2. What is being renovated?

After 20 years of operation, the Zeughaus’s technical systems require a full overhaul. This includes the environmental control systems essential to museum operations, the building’s security systems, the lighting, and the IT infrastructure – all of which will be updated to meet the demands of a modern museum and the needs of the new permanent exhibition. The renovations also present an opportunity to improve accessibility, energy efficiency, and visitors’ overall experience of the site. These improvements include the addition of a second visitor entrance, changes to the visitor route, and a new area for children and families.

3. Who is responsible for the renovations?

The buildings used by the DHM Foundation (Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum), including the Zeughaus, are owned by the Federal Republic of Germany and managed by the Institute for Federal Real Estate (Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben, BImA), which leases the buildings to the DHM. The BImA is commissioning the renovations, while the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung, BBR) is responsible for planning and carrying them out in accordance with the DHM's requirements.

4. Why is there currently no exhibition providing an overview of German history?

The renovations have given the DHM the opportunity to replace its permanent exhibition, German History from the Middle Ages to the Fall of the Berlin Wall, which was shown in the Zeughaus from 2006 to 2021, with a new core exhibition. The DHM continues to stage regular temporary exhibitions on German history in the neighbouring Pei Building, the museum's contemporary exhibition space. 

5. When will the new core exhibition open in the Zeughaus?

While the Zeughaus is closed for renovations, the DHM is hard at work on the new core exhibition. It will take around a year to install it, but this can only be done once the renovations have been completed. Neither the BImA nor the BBR has yet been able to provide an exact timeline for the return of the Zeughaus to the DHM. Based on the information currently available, it appears unlikely that the building will open with a new core exhibition before 2031. It should be noted that this is only an estimate, however. The DHM and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Beauftragter für Kultur und Medien, BKM) are currently exploring alternative interim venues for the new core exhibition, or at least a substantial portion of it, if it is not possible to find a location as large as the Zeughaus.