Permanent exhibition

Our History

Germany since 1945

Travel back in time through German history since 1945: Our exhibition starts with the post-War years, new beginnings and the division of Germany. Why did the Cold War come about? How did the two Germanies develop and what links existed between West Germany and Communist East Germany? What prompted Reunification and what challenges has Germany faced since?

Political events and developments form the red thread running through the exhibition. Moreover, you will see a broad variety of objects relating to everyday life, culture, business life and world events. Have you ever seen a Dakota DC3 from the inside? If not, then it’s high time to – in our exhibition! You can watch old ad reels in a 1950s movie theatre and play Rock’n’Roll classics on our jukebox, dream yourself into the late 1960s in our hippie Volkswagen transporter and chat with our service robot Eve.

Each item in the exhibition has its own story to tell. We present the small private and the large public narratives that changed society. Contemporary witnesses report their personal experiences and memories of their youth, of the “Beat” generation and as “guest workers” in West Germany.

You’ll no doubt recognize some of the exhibits: an object from your grandparents’ kitchen, an event your mother used to talked about, a song from your youth that you haven’t heard for ages … A mass of different stories jell to form “our history”.

The Haus der Geschichte has additional special services on offer for kids, families, school classes, students, adults and senior citizens, such as guided visits, audio guides, educational materials and apps.

Insights
Ice cream parlour in the permanent exhibition
Jukebox in the permanent exhibition at Haus der Geschichte in Bonn
Guided visit in the permanent exhibition at Haus der Geschichte Bonn
a piece from the moon: Moon stone in the permanent exhibition
A scene from the permanent exhibition 'Our History, Germany since 1945'
Ein graues Plakat mit drei Fingerabdrücke in Schwarz, Rot, Gold und dem Ausstellungstitel in schwarzer und roter Schrift
Tour
Guide in the exhibition

Guide through the exhibition

We invite you to take a tour of the Permanent Exhibition “Our History. Germany since 1945”. Download our guide here or get it at the Information Desk!

Guide download

Book

Book about the exhibition

Forty selected highlights from the exhibition "Our History. Germany since 1945", illustrated with further exhibits, guide the reader through contemporary German history.

Buy online

AudioGuide
Hand with smartphone, on the display you can see the AudioGuide for the permanent exhibition 'Germany since 1945' in the Haus der Geschichte

Take a guided tour of the exhibition with headphones

Find out more about selected highlights in our permanent exhibition with our AudioGuide. You can listen to the individual commentaries online, either at home in preparation for your visit to the museum or simply using your smartphone while here, with the free Wi-Fi for visitors.

AudioGuide in English here online available.







WEB-PROJECTS

The Terror of the RAF in Germany in Autumn 1977

Left-wing terrorism and the RAF are also topics in our permanent exhibition.

In our multimedia web project Landshut77 you can learn more about the five-day hijacking of the Lufthansa plane "Landshut" in October 1977 by terrorists and its rescue by the special unit GSG 9.

Eye-witnesses tell you how they experienced the events.

Discover Landshut77

Screenshot des Webportals landshut77.de