German History in Images and Artefacts from Two Millenia

The advance of the Romans up to the Rhine and the Danube in the first century BC put an end to the political and cultural independence of the Celtic and Germanic peoples in central Europe. Archaeological finds show that the coexistence of the peoples was shaped not only by such military conflicts as the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, but also increasingly by vigorous trading contacts. The Roman civilization, language and alphabet remained alive after the 5th century following the downfall of the Roman state and later helped to consolidate Europe.

With the coronation of Charlemagne as emperor in the year 800, the empire of the Romans was taken up by the Franks. Charlemagne expanded his Frankish kingdom to become the most powerful in Europe, unified law and administration, and set educational reforms in motion. Under the emperors, what came to be known as the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" carried on into the 15th century as a feudal association of numerous lands and regional authorities. Artefacts of everyday life and authentic works of medieval art give us insight into the significance of religion and the imperial church as well as the class-based society of the Middle Ages.

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