Deutsches Historisches Museum

The permanent exhibition in the Zeughaus finally opened in July 2006 and provides an exhaustive blast through German history from 100 BC to the present day, divided chronologically into significant eras. The museum originally had trouble raising the funds to buy historical objects, but there's enough here now for the exhibits to work on their own, without the need for an overarching narrative. German nationalism becomes the focus once you enter the 19th century and later on more than one room is dedicated to the Nazi era. The DHM has succeeded admirably in looking the past straight in the eye, although the attempt to be impartial means that it is sometimes factual to the extreme. Temporary exhibitions are housed in the new Pei building.