Hitler’s Former Party HQ in Munich Set to Open as Nazi Museum

The planned “Nazi Museum” in Munich (left) will stand at the site of the former Nazi HQ in the city, the Brown House (right).

The former Nazi headquarters of the infamous German dictator Adolf Hitler in Munich is set to open as a Nazi Museum.

It will be a center which will document the history of the National Socialism movement in Germany, according to Daily Mail. In is not surprising that the HQ in Munich will be purposed as such since even in his days, Hitler had called the city Capital of the Nazi Movement.

The idea of putting up a Nazi Museum in the city with the purpose of educating its people about the vital role Munich played in Hitler’s climb to the top of the power ladder was first put up way back in 1945 right after the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII.

But then, even way back then, the concept of putting up a “Nazi Museum” had been ridden with controversies. Disagreements rose from exhibit ideas to financing and even on what to call the project.

It was in 2001 when the Bavarian government finally gave the go signal. And so, the white cube-like edifice which will hold the “Nazi Museum” went into construction. The building rose on the site of what was known as the Brown House, the former and infamous headquarters of the Nazis in Munich.

The planned “Nazi Museum” will be formally named Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism. It is set to open on April 30 next year. Its opening date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the city’s liberation by the American troops from the Nazis.

The Brown House, where the constructed “Nazi Museum is, and the area surrounding it is a showcase of Hitler’s former party. Edifices within the said area had housed the party’s administration.

There is a huge plaza within the area – the Koenigsplatz – which was used by the Nazi party for their mass rallies. It was pregnant with Nazi bureaucrats along with the stormabteilung (storm troopers) and SS men during Hitler’s reign.

The newly constructed building which will house the “Nazi Museum” will be a direct contrast to the architecture favored by Hitler and his party. It is modernist, a simple white cube-like building rising on what was once the seat of Nazi power.

Every floor of the museum will show what Munich’s role was to Hitler’s rise through the power ladder. The exhibit which will be permanent, by the way, will also showcase the various difficulties Germany encountered when it comes to dealing with its Nazi past after 1945.

Included in the plans for the “Nazi Museum” are tours, conferences, panel discussions, lectures, a library as well as research stations.

Officials of the city of Munich expect annual visiting numbers to rise to over 140,000. Exhibits in the planned museum will be both in German and English.