Somewhere between the postcards of idyllic Alpine villages, an old-school German Railways advertisement declaring "Punctuality is law," and a worn leather Bible from Luther's day lies the elusive answer to the question wracking Deutschland today: What defines German identity?

Or so Nürnberg's Germanisches National Museum hopes. Nowhere does a discussion of national identity require such finesse as in Germany, where the last attempt to define German-ness went so horribly wrong.

In an extensive exhibit, which opened in early June and runs through Oct. 3, the museum takes an approach totally different from Hitler's absolutist rhetoric. Drawing on five central themes -- intellect, character, faith, longing and Vaterland (Fatherland) -- the museum has sought to provoke visitors to come to their own conclusions about the driving question: " Was ist deutsch ?" (What is German?)

In that sense, the exhibit is undoubtedly a success. Though visitors are unlikely to emerge from the museum with a definitive or uniform view of Germanness, they will stow away interesting if not altogether informative cultural tidbits.

The exhibition floods visitors with more than 700 objects, including documents, paintings, sculptures, books and everyday products as well as high culture to help people sort out German identity. There are works by artists like Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Max Liebermann, along with other objects, like the popular East German children's television hero "The Sandman," and even a jar of Nivea cream. There are also Nordic walking sticks, Pope Benedict XVI-themed teddy bear and a porcelain German shepherd.

A number of lighter parts of the exhibit, offer insight into Germans' leisure activities such as "garden colonies" that offer city dwellers small plots of land to cultivate and enjoy. There's also a section on the history of German clubs, a pervasive cultural institution that brings together citizens with common interests -- most often sports or charitable activities.

The exhibit also tackles some tough questions, such as Germans' longstanding longing for a true leader that stems from the political fragmentation and limited power of German rulers since the Middle Ages, according to an English-language pamphlet about the exhibit. "In the National Socialistic cult of the Führer (Leader) the Longing for Greatness takes on deluded and grandiose dimensions," the pamphlet declares.

The exhibit also addresses the inner conflict many Germans feel, given the dark history of the Second World War. "To feel and experience that sense of belonging to German, and in so doing to be pained by the condition of Germany, characterizes the difficulties with the Vaterland," the pamphlet explains. It also acknkowledges that terms such as "German" and "national" became "non-words" for many Germans because of the negative associations with the Nazi regime.