Zeitgeschichtliches Museum Mannheim

About the museum

The Zeitgeschichtliche Museum Mannheim (ZGMA) grew out of the wish of its initiator, Dirk D. Schulz, to share the knowledge about the wartime period in the Mannheim area that he had gathered over many years. He found a partner in the neighboring Heimatmuseum Sandhofen; after lengthy negotiations, the city of Mannheim made an above-ground bunker available. Volunteers converted it into an exhibition over about two years, and the museum was opened on December 18, 2011.

In January 2015 the team received the entire bunker. The ground floor then became the exhibition on the US Army in Mannheim from 1945 to 2015, so that Mannheim's garrison history from 1900 to 2015 comes together in one building. Most recently an area on the Bundeswehr was added.

The presentation extends over two levels of the bunker and covers the Schütte-Lanz airships in Sandhofen, the Imperial era and the First World War, the Nazi period in Mannheim, the US Army, and the Bundeswehr. The museum emphasizes that it shows the exhibits without judgment, neither glorifying events nor supporting political currents; its motto is "Krieg gehört in das Museum" (War belongs in the museum). According to its own information, it is funded by donations.

Highlights

• Exhibition across two levels of an original air-raid bunker
• Schütte-Lanz airships from Mannheim-Sandhofen
• Nazi period in Mannheim with rare original objects
• US Army in Mannheim 1945–2015
• Bundeswehr section with uniforms

Permanent exhibitions

• Schütte-Lanz-Luftschiffe (1900–1923) – Section on the history of airships in Mannheim-Sandhofen.
• Drittes Reich in Mannheim – Local perspective on National Socialism with rare original objects such as uniforms and flags, and references to propaganda and appropriation.
• US Army Mannheim und Bundeswehr (1945–2015) – The garrison history of the US forces and the Bundeswehr in Mannheim after the Second World War.

Founded

2011

Admission & discounts

War veterans have free admission.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is in the above-ground bunker at Birnbaumstraße 29–31 in Mannheim-Sandhofen, directly next to the Heimatmuseum Sandhofen.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit