The Sudeten German Museum is the central museum of the German-speaking population in the historical lands of Bohemia, Moravia and Sudeten Silesia, today's Czech Republic. For centuries, the coexistence of Germans, Czechs and Jews shaped the culture of this region in the heart of Europe. In its permanent exhibition, the Sudeten German Museum spans over 1100 years of history, art and culture, presented in authentic objects from its collections, on an exhibition area of 1200 square meters.
Permanent exhibition: The experience called home
The permanent exhibition is presented in a clear, varied and barrier-free design. Exciting, fascinating and sometimes astonishing exhibits from 1100 years of cultural history await you. Modern media technology supports the content in the form of audio and video stations as well as touch screens. Two large databases provide information on around 20,000 places and towns in the Czech lands as well as on the post-war collections of local history.
Sudeten German Museum
Homeland and faith
The homeland of the Sudeten Germans was not a uniform settlement area. More than a dozen regions formed homelands with different dialects, customs and economic sectors. It was not until 1919 that all Germans from the various homelands were grouped together under the term "Sudeten Germans". Religious customs not only shaped private and public celebrations, but also everyday life.
Economy and culture
Based on agriculture, forestry and mining, a wide-ranging industry and a world-famous spa culture have developed since the Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, cultural life has been expressed in numerous associations, technical schools, the fine arts, music and theater. As a special exhibit, the world's longest series-produced motorcycle of the brand 'Böhmerland' can be admired.
Sudeten German Museum
Nationalism and the nation state
The second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century were dominated by nationalism. As a result, the paths of Germans and Czechs increasingly diverged. Outstanding areas of conflict were language, education and associations. In Czechoslovakia (1918-38), the Germans were no longer a dominant minority, but a dominated minority. The economic crisis led to political radicalization and the separation of the Sudeten territories from the German Reich. In the Nazi state, the initial enthusiasm gave way to disillusionment due to Gleichschaltung and persecution. One in three Sudeten German soldiers died in the war.
Loss and expulsion
A separate section is dedicated to the two years 1945/46 with the loss of home through flight and expulsion. Reprisals, internment and forced labor with stays in camps as well as various forms of expulsion with impressive personal memories shaped this period. Instead of order, chaos prevailed, as is expressed in the striking installation.
Sudeten German Museum
Post-war period and a new beginning
The last section of the exhibition focuses on the arrival in a new environment in which the Sudeten Germans were initially not welcome, integration through economic reconstruction and the cultivation of old traditions. With the help of the invisible baggage that everyone brought with them in the form of personal skills, associations and societies were founded. Following visits to the old homeland, numerous partnerships were formed with Czech parishes and communities, pointing the way to a hopeful future.
"Ferdinand Porsche and other pioneers. Pioneers of mobility from Bohemia and Moravia" © Sudeten German Museum
Special exhibition 2025:
Ferdinand Porsche and other pioneers. Pioneers of mobility from Bohemia and Moravia
"It is not technology that makes history, but the people who invented it." This sentence is attributed to Ferdinand Porsche, the Sudeten German car pioneer and designer of the VW Beetle. He is one of the people who made engineering history in Bohemia and Moravia. Like Hans Ledwinka, Vaclav Laurin, Hugo Albin Liebisch and others, Porsche made an important contribution to the development of individual mobility as we know it today.
Ferdinand Porsche's 150th birthday is an occasion to present their exciting history in Bohemia and Moravia.
July 18 to January 11, 2026
www.sudetendeutsches-museum.de
