In Berlin's historical centre, the German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum) is housed in two architecturally stunning buildings: the Zeughaus (Armoury) is the most important preserved Baroque building in Berlin, and I.M. Pei designed a highly modern building immediately behind it. The Chinese-American architect also designed the glass roof that protects the interior courtyard of the Zeughaus with its famous giant masks created by Andreas Schlüter.
The Zeughaus has been home to the permanent exhibition "Deutsche Geschichte vom Mittelalter bis zum Mauerfall" ("German History from the Middle Ages to the Fall of the Berlin Wall") since 2006. In a chronologically organised circuit, the museum conveys 2,000 years of German history in a European context. Links between political developments in individual European states are depicted alongside their cultural-historical relationships. Over 7,000 unique pieces from the collection of the German Historical Museum bring the past to life and illustrate events using multimedia stations and educational offerings.
The exhibition hall designed by I. M. Pei has four floors that act as a backdrop to changing exhibitions in which key events, developments and aspects of German history are examined in-depth.