Photo © Hufton+Crow Photography

Military History Museum

Description

"I wanted to create a bold interruption, a fundamental dislocation, to penetrate the historic arsenal ….” – Daniel Libeskind German military history is part of German cultural history. This notion forms the basis for the redevelopment of the German Army`s Military History Museum in Dresden. The concept and design of the exhibition are intended to create a dialogue between conventional and unconventional views and to make this complex topic accessible to the whole of society in a completely new way. The design is transformed from testament to Germany`s military might into BOTH a museum of German military history an anthropological consideration of the nature of violence and war and the human and societal impulses. The content and design of the exhibition reflect the architectural contrast between the Museum`s two parts: the Chronology in the old building traces the history of Germany`s military in the form of a timeline, while the Themed Tour in the new extension deals with individual aspects and phenomena concerning the military that have had a lasting impact on society throughout the ages. This is also Germany's largest Museum.

Addition, 2011

Constructed, 1897

Map View

2 Olbrichtplatz

#Architecture

#Museum

current

20 Results,Show less

current Images

18 Images,Show less

The design takes into consideration the complications of war and violence

A bold piece of architecture to provoke the public’s understanding of the impact war had on Germany.

The sharp edges and harsh angles of the museum’s extension that convey the pain and the stark reality of war

Crashing a huge steel and concrete structure through the neoclassical facade, tearing apart the symmetry of the original building.

The sharp tip of the structure points eastwards, to the source of firebombs dropped during the war

The new facade’s openness and transparency contrasts with the opacity and rigidity of the existing building.

The neoclassical arsenal built in 1876, converted into a museum of war and of the military strength of the Saxons, first, and then the Nazis, the Soviets and finally the East Germans.

The five-storey triangular wedge extends the existing galleries

Protruding out from the main body of the building, the 200-ton extension holds a 99ft viewing platform that offers views across the historic city.

The viewing deck extends the galleries

Sun filters through the galleries on the viewing deck

The 21,000 square feet exhibition space makes it Germany’s largest museum

Slits in the wall wash the concrete walls with sunlight

The new extension shines a new light on violence whilst taking an anthropological approach, considering the human causes and effects.

Inside the building, exposed concrete walls separate the new exhibition areas from the historic galleries.

“It was not my intention to preserve the museum’s facade and just add an invisible extension in the back. I wanted to create a bold interruption, a fundamental dislocation, to penetrate the historic arsenal and create a new experience. The architecture will engage the public in the deepest issue of how organized violence and how military history and the fate of the city are intertwined.”—Daniel Libeskind

The materiality as natural light bleeds down the cast concrete interior from small slits in the building’s face and studies the details

A survivor of war, the building avoided any damage during the allied bombing of World War Two thanks to its location on the outskirts of Dresden, it is an ode to the past as a veteran that has experienced the events of violence itself.

current Drawings and documents

2 Documents,Show less

The floor plan is designed based on two lines: the building’s visible zigzagging line and an invisible straight line.

Concept Sketch

Phone App
Membership
Add Content
FAQ
Help
Contact Us

Newsletter Sign Up

37-24, 24th St, Suite 102, Long Island City, NY 11101