Graphic of the Bayerisches Armeemuseum is in the New Castle in Ingolstadt, Bavaria (Designed by Stars and Stripes Staff)

From 1914 to 1918, during the Great War, or World War I, the German Empire initiated a two-front confrontation strategy against the Allied Powers. Despite early advances, the German advances were stalled. These two museums in Bavaria and Stuttgart examine and reflect on the events of the war, such as the stagnation into trench warfare and the British blockade that caused extreme food shortages known as the “Turnip Winter” in Germany, which eventually led to the collapse and end of monarchal rule.

Bayerisches Armeemuseum | Ingolstadt

The New Castle in Ingolstadt is a gorgeous Gothic building and home to the Bavarian Army Museum. It is one of the largest Army museums in Europe and features unique exhibits that range from the late Middle Ages to the present day. As stated on the website, the mission of the museum is “to critically and historically accurately reflect on the military and warlike violence in history and its effects on man, society and state.”

Reduit Tilly, Ingolstadt where the Museum of the First World War is located. (Maria Breuer- Adobe Stock )

The Museum of the First World War, which is part of the Bayerisches Armeemuseum, is in the Reduit Tilly. Across 30 rooms, visitors get an extensive look at German military confrontations in World War I. It starts in 1871, when the German Empire was founded and ends with the reshaping of Europe by the victors of the Great War. The focus is on the role of the army and what a soldier’s life was like. As you wander through the exhibitions, you will get a sense of the difficult daily life soldiers faced at the front lines, hospital life for wounded soldiers and the struggles families of soldiers faced back home.

At the rear of the museum is Klenzepark, which has a walking path and gardens with benches. This is a beautiful and peaceful area where you can reflect on the stories of individuals and the events you learned about.

The Haus der Geschichte | Baden-Württemberg

The House of History museum provides visitors with an all-encompassing sense of the history of the southwest region of Germany from 1790 to the present. While this museum does not solely focus on the events of the Great War, it does include the events leading up to it and has a dedicated display titled “World Wars and the Interwar Period,” which focuses on the impact World War I had on the region.

Haus der Geschichte Baden-Wurttemberg (House of History Baden-Wurttemberg) - Stuttgart, Germany (Diego Grandi-Adobe Stock )

The exhibit is interactive and sobering. It includes personal letters, original uniforms and propaganda to give visitors a sense of the soldiers’ experiences in the trenches, how the home front was impacted with struggles of hunger, and the collapse of the Kaiserreich in 1918. The exhibit features audio stations, feature films and original artifacts for further immersion and for a sense of not only the battles, but also the individual fates of the time. Since the exhibit is part of a larger thematic presentation, it is a great prelude to understanding the rise of National Socialism that happened after World War I.  

For English-speakers, you can schedule a guided tour in English, download a digital guide at the museum which offers stories about the exhibits, or download a pdf brochure from the museum website.