Exhibition of the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History
at the New Armoury of Königstein Fortress
Over millennia, the technology, design, and armament of defensive structures have evolved. Simultaneously, the techniques and tactics for besieging and capturing these "secure places" have transformed. In the face of the immense firepower of modern 20th-century weapons, especially the atomic bomb, the question of the relevance of fortified places arises more than ever. Nevertheless, the fundamental human need for security remains central and demands protected spaces.
In twelve chapters with over 200 objects and images, the exhibition presents a cultural history of fortified places and fortresses using selected examples. It focuses on historical and modern offensive and defensive weapons, but also explores topics that go far beyond traditional fortress warfare, such as castles as romantic projections and retreat spaces.
Objects from different eras, such as a disc club from the Neolithic Age, a depression gun that can be found uniquely in the fortress and the casing of a Mk53 hydrogen bomb represent the complex perspectives of the exhibition.
Media stations and tactile models of fortresses and the means of destroying them complete the consideration of the “safe places”. The beginning and end of the story are a pair of figurines that appear very different and yet are closely connected to each other. A suit of armor as a knight's personal protection and a model of a T-800 from the blockbuster film "Terminator", representing a dystopian future of conflict without humans through AI control.
