Brandenburg Museum für Zukunft, Gegenwart und Geschichte

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum opened in December 2003 as the Haus der Brandenburgisch-Preußischen Geschichte (HBPG, House of Brandenburg-Prussian History). The State of Brandenburg had acquired the vacant carriage stable on Neuer Markt in 1997 to create a venue for the state's history; after several years of renovation and an extension in the courtyard, the museum initially hosted mainly large temporary exhibitions on Brandenburg-Prussian history.

The building itself has a long history: built in 1671 as the Elector's riding stable, it was remodeled in the early Neoclassical style by Andreas Ludwig Krüger from 1787 to 1790 and served the court of the Potsdam City Palace as a stable for its carriage horses until 1918. Above the portal stands an unusual quadriga that shows stable hands instead of allegorical figures. In the 20th century, the police, workshops and, from 1940, a fruit wholesaler used the premises.

From 2018, the museum went through a multi-year renewal process involving structural, technical and conceptual changes; the vaulted halls were renovated in keeping with their listed status by 2020. Since spring 2022, the museum has been fully open again with a new, modular permanent exhibition, and it was later renamed Brandenburg Museum für Zukunft, Gegenwart und Geschichte (Brandenburg Museum for Future, Present and History). It is run by the Brandenburgische Gesellschaft für Kultur und Geschichte and funded by the state and the City of Potsdam.

The Brandenburg.Ausstellung combines loans from museums across the state with digital stations and hands-on formats and asks how images of Brandenburg came about. It is complemented by changing special exhibitions and an extensive program of events.

Highlights

• Brandenburg.Ausstellung: ten centuries of state history from the Middle Ages to today
• "Lebende Porträts" (Living Portraits) – video sequences of historical figures, created with the Filmuniversität Babelsberg
• Carriage stable from 1787–1790 with a quadriga of stable hands above the portal
• Pay-what-you-wish admission to the permanent exhibition (€0–10)
• Multimedia guide for adults and children, also in Easy German (Leichte Sprache)

Permanent exhibitions

• Brandenburg.Ausstellung – An overview of around a thousand years of Brandenburg history, organized by themes such as the natural landscape, European connections, people's everyday lives, and myths and clichés about the region.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Brandenburgische Gesellschaft für Kultur und Geschichte gGmbH

Director

Katja Melzer

Admission & discounts

Admission to the permanent exhibition Brandenburg.Ausstellung is voluntary: everyone pays what they wish, between €0 and €10. Free admission to paid exhibitions for, among others, people under 18, school students, university students, apprentices, job seekers, recipients of basic income support, holders of the Mobilitätsticket, asylum seekers, ICOM and Museumsbund/museum association members, and journalists.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

Step-free access to the foyer and exhibition hall, two elevators to all floors, wheelchair-accessible restroom in the basement. Induction loop at the ticket desk, elevators with tactile labeling, multimedia guide with an audio version and Easy German (Leichte Sprache), subtitled "Lebende Porträts". Folding stools available to borrow free of charge.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Four discovery stations for children up to age 5, a puzzle booklet (€3) for children old enough to read, a children's version of the multimedia guide, flashlight tours, a holiday program, and a children's birthday party as a detective case for 9- to 12-year-olds.

Getting there & parking

Visitor entrance through the gateway at the Neuer Markt, then to the left.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

No café or restaurant in the building. Free lockers in the basement for coats and bags larger than A4. Museum shop with literature on Brandenburg history. Free Wi-Fi (access details at the ticket desk).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

A conference room, a seminar room and the historic vaulted hall (50, 114 and 255 m² according to the City of Potsdam) are available for conferences, receptions, workshops, corporate events and private celebrations; children's birthday parties as well.

Plan your visit