German Tank Museum, Military museum in Munster, Germany
The German Tank Museum is a military museum in Munster dedicated to the history of armored vehicles from World War I to the present day. The collection includes numerous tanks, vehicles, weapons, and personal equipment spread across a large exhibition space.
The museum grew out of the instructional collection of the Bundeswehr's Panzertruppenschule in Munster. A 1983 agreement between the Federal Minister of Defence and the city made that collection the core of a public museum. In 2003 a new building added special displays, a shop and a cafeteria. In 2016 the Kursk exhibition area was removed after criticism.
Since 2010 the museum has used the slogan "Technik – Kultur – Gesellschaft" (technology, culture, society). The permanent display is grouped into four themed paths called Elemente des Krieges: Iron for small arms and ammunition, Textile for uniforms, Gold for medals and decorations, and Wood for war toys. A death mask and tunic attributed to Erwin Rommel are shown, with the tunic now labelled as a forgery and an explanation of how the fake was detected.
The museum lies in Munster, on the edge of the Munster Training Area camp, and is reached by road; the site covers over 9,000 square metres, with 7,500 square metres of exhibition halls. A Leopard 1 in the outdoor area can be climbed via a flight of steps, and a ladder in the turret hatch leads inside the tank. The 2003 building holds special displays, a museum shop and a cafeteria.
The museum's A7V is a replica, but its Daimler DZVR 21 armoured police car is the last surviving example of its kind. The collection also holds one of only two existing Sturmpanzer VI vehicles and a prototype of the Jagdpanzer IV.
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