The 8,000 selected exhibition pieces from the DHM’s own collections, often with an absolutely unique value as historical documentation and covering the approximately 8000 square meters of the exhibition, convey a vivid and illuminating picture of the past. The pieces selected bear an expressive significance and represent almost all fields of the human legacy: documents, paintings and other artistic creations, books, posters, textiles, furniture, machines, as well as the most various objects from everyday life and much more. In the methodology of the permanent exhibition, these pieces serve not only as illustrations of historical events but also as testimonials to history in their own right and are presented, explicated and placed in overarching historical contexts based on their individual evidential character. Furthermore the exhibition does not present a German-centric picture but rather consistently provides a depiction of German history in its European context that incorporates the multifaceted processes of exchange and its political and cultural interwovenness with the neighbouring states. Numerous multi-media elements, models and pedagogical stations throughout the circuit of the exhibit add both breadth and depth to the information on offer.