Military history museum Rastatt

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Military history museum Rastatt
logo
Data
place Museum in Rastatt Castle
Art
architect Domenico Egidio Rossi
opening 1934
operator
Military History Museum Rastatt GmbH
management
Website
ISIL DE-MUS-114114
The Rastatt Castle houses the Defense History Museum in the south wing.
Showroom with uniforms

The Military History Museum Rastatt ( WGM ) deals with modern German military history . It is located in the south wing of the Residenzschloss in Rastatt .

Exhibitions

The focus of the permanent exhibition is on the military history of the German southwest, i.e. for the period from 1500 to 1800 based on the territories of the Swabian Empire . The Thirty Years' War and the numerous conflicts with France that took place up to the Rastatt Congress and the coalition wars during Napoleon's time are shown. The person of " Türkenlouis " and his role in the wars against the Ottoman Empire are dealt with in detail. For the period of the 19th century, the armies of the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Baden with weapons from the production of the Badische Gewehrfabrik are presented, as well as the military events during the Baden Revolution , the Unification Wars and the First World War . The focus is not only on pure military history, but emphasis is also placed on depicting the relationship between the military and society. Part of the permanent exhibition is, among other things, a model of the Rastatt fortress and a large diorama consisting of over 6,000 tin figures .

In addition to the permanent exhibition, there are three so-called study collections (on edged weapons , badges of rank and military music ): These show uniforms, items of equipment, weapons, medals, documents and graphics from the respective period. The exhibits come from almost all German states of the 18th and 19th centuries.

From time to time there are special exhibitions on more specific aspects of military history.

history

The museum was founded in 1934 as the Badisches Army Museum in Karlsruhe and included the military holdings of the Badisches Landesmuseum as well as selected holdings from the Freiburg Augustinian Museum .

In 1956 it was housed in the Rastatt Castle. The exhibits came from the Baden Army Museum and partly from the holdings of the former Württemberg Army Museum. The collections have been continuously expanded over time through foundations and acquisitions. Until 1996 the museum was sponsored by the Bundeswehr .

After several years of closure due to renovation and redesign, the museum was reopened in its current form in 1999. Since then, it has been under the management of an independent GmbH, which is supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg , the city of Rastatt and a support association, through which the Federal Ministry of Defense also participates in the further financing of the museum. The collection, which has now grown to around 80,000 exhibits, largely belongs to the state of Baden-Württemberg.

The former museum directors included u. a. Erich Blankenhorn , Karl-Hermann Freiherr von Brand zu Neidstein , Siegfried Fiedler , Ernst-Heinrich Schmidt , Joachim Niemeyer and Kai Uwe Tapken .

The chairman of the association was u. a. Colonel a. D. Friedhelm Klein . Brigadier General a. D. Manfred Hofmeyer Chairman.

literature

  • Alexander Jordan , Thomas Madeja, Winfried Mönch (arr.): Walk through history. 75 years of the Defense History Museum and 50 years of the Association of Friends of the WGM. Catalog for the special exhibition, July 18 to October 31, 2009 in the Military History Museum Rastatt (= study collections and special exhibitions in the Military History Museum Rastatt . No. 7). Published by the Association of Friends of the Defense History Museum Schloss Rastatt, Rastatt 2009, ISBN 3-9810460-3-X .
  • Christoph Rehm: The Military History Museum Rastatt . In: Bulletin of the Working Group on the Military and Society in the Early Modern Age , Volume 6 (2002), Issue 1, p. 39 ff.

Web links

Commons : WGM Rastatt  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 29 "  N , 8 ° 12 ′ 19.3"  E