About The German Tank Museum
The German Tank Museum is a public museum dedicated to the evolution of military vehicles in German and the wider world. Their collections feature an array of tanks and military artefacts from across Germany, Europe and the United States.
History of The German Tank Museum
The German Tank Museum, or Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, is situated on the east German military camp of Munster (not, confusingly, the popular city of Münster in western Germany). It dates back to 1983, when the German Army’s training school began compiling a collection of its vehicles and artefacts.
This extensive array of artefacts was later turned into an eductional and interactive museum and opened to the public. In 2003 the museum expanded again, opening a shop and café on site.
The museum attempts to educate its visitors on the evolution of military vehicles in Germany and beyond, as well as touching on the wider social, economic and political backgrounds of the vehicles and artefacts themselves.
The German Tank Museum today
Today, the German Tank Museum in Munster boasts a large and varied collection of tanks. Among the organisation’s vehicles are a Swedish Stridsvagn m/21-29, a modern Merkava from Israel and a whole host of tanks from the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom.
The core of the museum’s exhibits, though, are its German tanks and armoured vehicles. There are some 40 World War Two era German tanks at the museum, as well as an array of small arms, military uniforms, equipment and medals.
Many of the museum’s vehicles and exhibits are in working order, with the site’s staff priding themselves on conducting extensive research to restore the artefacts to their exact original states.
Getting to The German Tank Museum
The German Tank Museum is situated near the town of Munster in the Lower Saxony region of Germnay. Be careful not to confuse Munster with the west German city of Münster.
Munster is accessible on route 71. From Hamburg, heading south along route 7. Alternatively, head north from Hanover on route 7.
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