Imperial War Museum
This unique museum was built on the Sydenham Hill in 1917 to the memory of those fallen in World War I. When the building burned down on November 30,1936 it was reopened at the Lambeth Road in a former psychiatric hospital named Bethlem Royal Hospital.
The IWM is already today a legend. Not only enthusiasts, historians or tourists are impressed by the IWM deeply, it is also one of the greatest armed forces archives both for documents and photos, film and audio worldwide today, too. The special exhibitions enjoy an excellent reputation and are spectator magnets.
The museum is divided up into ten permanent galleries. The "big exhibition hall" which houses particularly big exhibits like aeroplanes, tanks and other vehicles is certainly particularly impressive for the visitor. "The World War I gallery" deals with the causes, the history and the results of the Great War and surprises the visitor with its unbelievable variety of exhibits as well as its representations regarding the trench war.
"The World War II gallery" follows immediately the first one. Also here the intensity of the experience is overwhelming. The collection and documentation leaves no question, not even an insignificant one unanswered. The gallery "Conflicts Since 1945"
takes a close look at the changes of the British defence forces in connection with after-war conflicts as well as technical, strategic and geopolitical alterations.
"The Holocaust Exhibition" draws a picture of the genocide in Germany from the beginning of the take-over until the end of the war. With select documents as well as audio and video material every aspect of the racial hatred is examined. Another gallery, "Crime Against Humanity", examines the genocide with a half-hour film and additional documents and ethnic conflicts, such as Rwanda, East Timor, Armenia, Bosnia or Cambodia.
"Secret War" is another exhibition which lists the thrilling aspects of spying and counterespionage, under cover operations and operations of British special unit SAS . It tells the story of the secret services MI 5 and MI 6 since World War I and gives us a better understanding of the radical changes in the services since "9-11".
The "Art Gallery" deals with art in the two World Wars. The exhibits and objects can vary. The "Victoria Cross and George Cross Gallery" introduces the two most important and highest military and civilian honour medallions. Central exhibit is the Nercy gun and the three VCs that the crew received for its action at the battle around Mons. The last gallery is dedicated to Field Marshal Montgomery. "Monty: Master of the Battlefield ".