Despite being dedicated to a dramatic topic, war museums are amongst the most popular and visited attractions in the world. Here are several of the most amazing military museums on the planet.
Bundeswehr Military History Museum – Located in Dresden, this war museum opened doors in 2011 and is one of Germany’s most visited attractions. It is house in a former military arsenal which dates back to the mid-1870s. The renovation of the edifice took approximately six years and had a total cost of £55.5 million. The most impressive feature of the building is the newly built 98 feet tall pyramid which is known as the “Dresden Shard”. The structure cuts through the stone walls of the former arsenal. The museum’s most famous exhibit is the Brandtaucher, Germany’s first submarine which was built in the city of Kiel in 1850.
People’s Liberation Army Museum – This unique museum is housed in the Sahrawi refugee camps in the southwestern parts of Algeria. The venue is dedicated to the struggle for the independence of the Western Sahara people. It showcases numerous weapons, military vehicles and uniforms. It also displays a wide range of documents related to the numerous battles that were part of the Liberation Wars. The most famed relics of the museum are an AMX-13 F3 self-propelled gun vehicles and an Austrian SK-105 Kürassier light tank.
Military Museum Belgrade – Founded in 1878, the Military Museum of Belgrade is one of the main attractions of the Serbian capital. The venue has a collection of over 3,000 items which are related to the evolution of warfare throughout the years. It also displays numerous military uniforms, some of which date back to Ancient Roman and Ancient Greece. The outer exhibition of the museum comprised of vehicles and towed artillery, while the interior exhibition showcases the aforementioned uniforms along with various weapons such as swords, rifles, pistols, knives, bows and etc.
The National Museum of the Air Force – Home to a collection of diverse aircraft and missiles it is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world. Situated in Dayton, Ohio it is one of the most visited museums in the Unites States with approximately 1.3 million visitors per year. Its main exhibit is a replica of the noted Military Flyer, an aircraft which was designed by the Wright Brothers in 1909. Other renowned relics of the museum are several B-2 Stealth Bombers and a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.
Guningtou War Museum – This museum was built in 1984 to commemorate the Battle of Guningtou between the People’s Liberation Army and the National Revolutionary Army. The encounter lasted from 1949 to the late 1950s and is regarded as one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts in China. The museum lies in Kinmen National Park which one of Taiwan’s most popular open spaces and displays military memorabilia such as weapons, documents, uniforms, photographs and paintings. On the outside of the venue are positioned three bronze statues of soldiers who are ready to embark on a battle and are flanked with authentic tanks which were used by both armies during the Guningtou skirmishes.
Imperial War Museum North – Nicknamed IWM North, it is one of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum in England. The thing that makes this venue more interesting than its counterparts is that it explores the impact that modern warfare has on society and people. It is also the only branch of the Imperial War Museum that is located in the northern regions of the country. It lies on a site that overlooks the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford Park. It was established in this particular part of the county due to the fact that it is one of the fastest developing districts of Greater Manchester. A testament to this is the fact that nowadays people move constantly to the area which obligates all newcomers into hiring a man with a van in Trafford. Amongst the museum’s most famed relics are a T-34 Soviet tank, an Iraqi T-55 tank and wreckage from the September 11 attacks.
Dharma Wiratama Museum – This military museum is housed in an edifice that was built in 1904 during the Dutch Colonial Government of Indonesia. The building was converted into a museum in 1982 and currently has a collection of 4.289 items. The venue consists of 20 display rooms, each of which is dedicated to a different war related topic. The first two rooms of the museum commemorate Sudirman and Oerip, the first leaders of the Indonesian military. The “War Room” is arguably the most reputed area of the museum as it showcases artifacts and documents which are related to eight battles that took place during the Indonesian National Revolution.
Les Invalides – Officially known as “L`Hôtel National des Invalides” this complex of buildings is entirely dedicated to French military history. The compound houses several different venues but the most visited and well-known are the Army Museum and Saint Louis des Invalides Cathedral which display the burials sites of numerous French war heroes, including the sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte. They also showcase an extensive collection of armours, uniforms and weapons. The complex is also a functioning hospital and retirement home for war veterans, which is its original purpose since it was built in the late 17th century. The other museums that are located at Les Invalides are:
- The Charles de Gaulle Monument
- The Museum of Plans and Landforms
- The Museum of the Order of the Liberation
- The Dome of Les Invalides
National Museum of Military History – Situated in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, this venue is dedicated to military history and has been opened to the public since 1916. It has an indoor exhibition area of 5,000 square metres and an outdoor exhibition space of 40,000 square metres of which 500 square metres are covered. The museum also has its own library and computer hall. Despite opening doors in 1916, the venue hosted its first complete exhibition 21 years later in 1937. Amongst the museum’s most popular relics are a Fahrpanzer mobile artillery piece, a Hotchkiss H35 light tank, a Panavia Tornado twin-engine combat aircraft and 9K52 Luna-M short range artillery rocket system.