The new Libeskind extension breaks up the neo-classical facade of the former military arsenal in dramatic fashion.

The redesigned Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden is almost an anti-war museum – By Klaus Grimberg

A silvery triangle protrudes from the neo-classical facade of the former military arsenal, erected between 1873 and 1876. It is the conspicuous tip of a massive wedge driven into the building by the architect Daniel Libeskind. The rigid order of the building is disrupted. Outside as well as inside the museum, this contorted, tilted extension forms a sharp contrast to the precise symmetry of the Wilhelmine edifice.

As with the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Libeskind has once more created “space for contemplation” with his expressive architecture – in this case the contemplation of “organized violence.” For the Bundeswehr Military History Museum (MHM), the decision in favor of Libeskind’s design was a clear guideline: This new extension to the building, whose layout explicitly refers to the devastating bombing of Dresden in World War II, would not lend itself to the organized display of weaponry.

But that had never been the intention of the curators of the radically reorganized permanent exhibition anyway. The recently opened building, with its 10,500 exhibits, presents itself as a multi-layered place of reflection that raises questions about the origin of violence and war. Fans of battle paintings, military strategy or brightly polished war technology can spare themselves the effort. The 11 linked sections of the exhibition confront the visitor, above all, with the human potential for violence.

Does violence start in the nursery? A long showcase in one of the sharp angles of the building brings together the seemingly inexhaustible war arsenal of little boys and girls: from Playmobil pirates with swords and pistols to mounted soldiers of both world wars and martial fighters from fantasy stories. The bizarre parade of toy figures and their war material ends at the doll’s house of an English girl from the early 1940s. With childish practicality she has blacked out the windows, secured the doors with sandbags – her way of playfully dealing with the horrible reality of the bombings.

Next to the doll’s house the view descends into one of several shafts connecting the floors. Wedged into a corner stands a German V2 rocket from World War II – the cause of the English girl’s fears. The team of curators has successfully created a number of these tension-filled confrontations: The theme sections “child and play” and “military and technology” collide in the same way they correlate outside the choreographed staging of the museum.

Only a few steps away, a peculiar caravan of animals awaits the visitor – led by an elephant and a camel, a horse, a sheep, a goat and a dog follow; a cat and a goose sit at the end of the procession. They stand for the millions of animals ruthlessly used in wars. Another showcase presents a selection of fashion items. From sailor suits to camouflage parkas – over the centuries military attire has continually found its way into the world of fashion. Similarly, everyday language uses words and expressions originating from a military context, such as “showing your colors,” “old trooper” or “outflank”.

The complex interaction between military and society, violence and suffering, protection and destruction is omnipresent. Art installations placed throughout the exhibition prompt the visitor to think more intensively about these issues.

With each step the exhibition conveys ever more explicitly that wars begin in the minds of people. And that people are not only the victims, but also the perpetrators.

Besides the themed tour the permanent exhibition comprises three chronological sections (1300 to 1914, 1914 to 1945, 1945 until the present) presented in traditional cabinets and dealing with the overall development of martial violence. These detailed displays also focus on people, their actions and the consequences. The exhibition never drifts toward pathos or even glorification. In particular, the decades following World War II until the present are treated with great sophistication – with a sure feeling for the fine line between peace mission and military intervention. Even the complex dichotomy between the Federal Armed Forces of former West Germany and the National Peoples’ Army of communist East Germany is examined by the curators with a perfect sense of proportion.

The Bundeswehr Military History Museum is setting new standards in terms of architecture as well as content. Visitors leave the museum with the impression of having been to an anti-war museum. Which says a lot about the democratic self-image of the Bundeswehr: The first thing to do in order to preserve peace is to avoid violence.