Photo Gallery The Führer on Exhibit
The German History Museum in Berlin will open an extensive exhibition on Adolf Hitler on Friday, the first of its kind in postwar Germany.
All manner of objects will be on display. But they are all to be firmly embedded in context with clear references to the criminality of the regime. Here, a paper lantern from 1940.
The museum declined to put large-scale portraits of Hitler on display, preferring to firmly embed his image in the context of his regime and the violence it wrought in Europe. Here, the images that greet visitors upon entering the exhibition.
A book cover out of a private collection. The exhibition avoids putting objects on display that "would cross the line into making this an homage to a hero," says lead curator Hans-Ulrich Thamer.
The exhibition includes various examples of Hitler memorabilia, but they tend to be placed in smaller display cases and are not a central focus of the show.
Curators shied away from presenting some of the more monumental images of the Führer out of fear of attracting unwanted visitors. Here, a deck of cards from 1934.
Curators opted not to simply call the exhibition "Hitler," fearing that such a title didn't provide enough context. Instead, it will be called "Hitler and the Germans: Nation and Crime." Here, a container for the collection of money for a German charity.
Above all, the organizers wanted to avoid breathing new life into the old excuses from the postwar period that painted Hitler as the evil seducer of an unknowing and innocent general population. Here, boxes that could be used to save money for a Volkswagen, from around 1940.
