GOOGLE translate
Musée de la guerre de 1870
If you are a looking for a treasure chamber, than, please, visit the Museum of the Franco-Prussian War in the small village Gravelotte, in the vicinity of the french town Metz.
The new museum opened its doors in 2014. It is tri -lingual. Every description in french-english-German.
The language of videos for example can therefore be switched. So you need no audioguide.
There is a fantastic collection of uniforms, helmets, paintings and weapons. The most impressive collection I haveseen Regarding did conflict.
You can: see the famous trumpet of Gravelotte, the original uniform of General Decaen, a mitrailleuse, de remaining originals of the huge panoramic painting in Rezonville and so on, and so on.
Every uniform is explained '. You can learn a lot about the conflict and the political situation in Europe.
You can learn, did the political unification by Means of what was not only a German uniqueness. So what Italy united in the same way, at the sametime.
The exhibition in the museum is presented really neutral. The french side is explained ', so but the German side. With no bias, no tendency.
That's really great.
In my opinion, it is one of the most objective museums I have ever visited. And, keep in mind, I'm a German and not a french.
Have fun with the pictures.
"… What we learn here about the Franco-German war and its far-reaching effects, is on the cutting edge of research. Probably never the German point of view has been very involved in the story in a French history museum. This begins with the explanation of the causes of war. They are provided here in the European context and the power politics in the formation of national states in the 19th century. War was then still as a legitimate means of policy. Also the course of the war is, one might almost say, retold impartially. Also Prussian eyewitnesses are quoted, uniforms of both sides presented alongside one another … "(Saarbrücker Zeitung of 22 April 2014)
Surely this article was the Saarbrücken newspaper to drive a major reason for me really excited to Gravelotte. For the second time, mind you, because during our last visit, the museum was still in hibernation.
Should this really be true? Lenses deliberative, impartial view of this conflict?
For me inconceivable, but the history of Alsace-Lorraine overshadowed by the events and developments in the unification war of 1870-71, World War I and II. World War.
The museum is indeed completely rebuilt, and was opened in the year, 2014. This is evident upon entering the lobby. Very modernist, factual, structured.
When we arrived on the day, we were lucky, or unlucky, that the admission was free. Great because it saves costs, bad because it really were a lot of visitors there, and therefore any views of each exhibit was not possible and had to be included in part of a bad angle photos.
I could not stop as usual quasi . literally lay before each showcase to them scan accordingly from all angles
What was for me to consider of course, the subsequent sentence remained from the article cited above, the Saarbrücken newspaper:
"..no, the new Musée départemental in Gravelotte with its permanent exhibition and 600 exhibits on 900 square meters is no adventure or even hands-on museum that aims to give its visitors what it feels like war. There are rather brittle … "
Na so all I really do not know how to design a museum that shows how that feels war. The I visited military museums try this even partially with multimedia effects to achieve. But really do not succeed then also. It's more Hollywood and Warner Brother Movie World.
Museums that would show how that feels war, would be prohibited.
For safety.
Even if I only wanted to represent the noise that would not be feasible because just too loud.
I want now but not picking apart the articles, because it is not written objectively and well.
the author wants to stop only say that the museum already classic, ie with texts, weapons, uniforms, paintings, etc. comes in showcases. . However, this does not change their vote, which I've initially quoted
for you my dear readers, this means that you can visit a museum, on the German-French border, which deals with comprehensively and objectively with an impressive number of exhibits a war, who has fallen in Germany almost completely forgotten, he is still completely overlaid by the later development of I. and II. world war.
the first display case already shows a wonderful overview of French and German headgear of war.
Oh yes. The still looked good. Simply beautiful these parts.
If one thinks.
That's concept, because after that you will be confronted in a nearly dark room, which is bathed in black and red colors with reality: As it says in a song of liberation wars "powder is black, blood is red, golden flickering flame. "Yes, it looks somehow.
The famous battered trumpet of Gravelotte, helmets, weapons, a cuirass, all drawn by traces of the battle: scuffs, dents, holes. These unexploded grenades parts. A bizarre sight, and by the way: A good Entrée. sugarcoat nowhere but directly show the results. I like that.
In the next room is then explained how it ever came to the war. Here are also tendencies in other parts of Europe, especially Italy, with studied. The scientific literature describes this epoch, too significantly as the epoch of wars of unification.
a look at two large portraits then at the Kaiser both countries. Napoleon III. and William I.
Already here the viewer notices something.
The museum is in three languages; all in French-English-German. Na and this also translated well.
But not only that. My companion Sven pointed me in the later stages of a fact way that I myself had not recognized directly. The order of the language changes !!!!
At the beginning and until the end of the war, so in the first rooms, the order is French-German-English.
The part of the museum, which then combines with the annexation and the National Rural Alsace Lorraine is concerned, then catapulted the German language at No. 1. New order of labeling: German-French-English.
at this small detail you see the objectivity of the museum quasi symbolically. . Model prison
The next room, the one directly after entering, then full exhibits: uniforms, weapons, paintings. On screens of war history can be traced in videos. Again, different audio tracks can be selected, ie, one also needs no audio guide.
The paintings are not "just so" issued, but they are explained, typologizes, addressed.
We learn why this design was chosen. Really good. An example:
"1872 addressed Harrach, although the situation is still very tense, in this painting, the brotherhood of arms. A wounded Prussian soldier reaches a Turko his canteen, despite the fact that Turkos have a bad reputation in Germany. A rare peaceful scene … "
The course of the war is presented chronologically by panels, starting with the French skirmish in Saarbrücken to Frankfurt peace.
The Uniform selection is huge. Here is an overview of the display cases.
One sees infantry uniforms, cavalry and artillery uniforms uniforms of both sides, uniforms of the French Guard. All very well explained on the display. Even the various regiments are named. Yes, it even goes so far that even in uniform differences of the individual involved German troops is explicitly mentioned.One finds General uniforms faced, even the original uniform of the fallen at Borny General Decaen.
In the field of the battle of Rezonville outweigh the cavalry uniforms, can be found at Gravelotte more uniforms and exemplified Mitrailleuse and artillery because those types of weapons played a decisive role here.
This thematic tour will not open of course every visitor immediately. Someone who has not been engaged in the various battles which looks primarily Once only uniforms.
But reads the standard visitors the text panels, then also his conception is open.
In this area of the museum is then again a division with battle scenes that have the fighting between the 16th and 18th of August on the subject.
I think that here too, the descriptive panel is again extremely well done:
"The fighting around Metz: Playback of the brutality of the fighting in the art. Although the previous campaigns were murderous, especially the Italian campaign (1859), they are glossed over in representations. The large history painting, which has made it popular printmaking to serve the edification. But 1870 Rezonville, Mars-La-Tour and Gravelotte have deeply ingrained in the collective memory of France and Germany, and the painter make it their mission to reproduce the brutality of the fighting. The battle of the cavalry is the anthology piece. The fight melee and the brutality of the collisions are a common motif. The force of the bullets and the devastation they wreak on the battlefield – the losses are extremely high – also attract the attention of artists to be ".
(Panel at the Museum)
This explains the images very well. Without these explanations they might come before us as heroic; after all, they come from a time when the boundaries between glorification and prosecution but often are fluent, and are not always recognized by a modern viewer.
It continues then with the impact of the battle.
The battlefield as such with destroyed villages and farms, but with the consequences. The war continued to Sedan, the siege of Metz and the war continued under the Republic.
Uniforms franctireur and militia are presented at the end, as the subject of death and injury is discussed.
Now the visitor comes to the part of the exhibition deals with the so-called Alsace-Lorraine. Uniforms can be found here also. Pickelhauben nichtmiltärischer units, uniforms of regiments that have been stationed in the new "kingdom land".
But the more civilian part of the occupation and annexation of time is shown under various aspects.
A few words: Political and administrative structures, Germanisation Germany, revenge feelings of France, the lost provinces, the Emperor and the Empire Country, "remembrance and" both sides, honoring the dead and the fatherland, traditional associations, by annexing to the next.
A major focus of course view the original parts of the former Panorama painting of Rezonville a (at the time of our visit there was a special exhibition on the ground floor of the museum, which also dealt with the Panorama).
Finally once the article from the Saarbrücker Zeitung: "A project of Franco-German reconciliation is to be the Museum, General Council President Patrick widths declared. This chapter takes the department a first step to integrate the German "heritage" in its identity. And precisely that is not only brave, but also very exciting. " I can only confirm. The museum gets an A visit absolute recommendation. In discussing the Franco-German War is here and shoulders above the armory in Berlin, in MHM Dresden or a fortiori as the MGM Rastatt. To all visitors. Please Take your time for a whole day. Morning is best to visit the monuments that exist in the area, in the afternoon in the museum. Na and remember. If you want to learn intensively the museum, you are already busy minimum two hours. If you want to read all the panels, expects times at least an hour on it. I am of the opinion … It's worth it. Every minute.
reveals a long-lost Martian tripod.
