Top Museums with Many pickelhaubes in Germany
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2nd.Leibhusar
Well-known member
Yes !!...Musee La Targette, Route Nationale 48, Neuville-Saint-Vaast ( route D937 Bethume-Arras) and the owners other museum with trenches and incredible ww1 collection, Musée Vivant 1914-1918 Colline de Notre Dame de Lorette, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire.
Superb collection, ....jaw dropping ! a must seen for any ww1 collector !!
Superb collection, ....jaw dropping ! a must seen for any ww1 collector !!
2nd.Leibhusar
Well-known member
It's a 3 hours drive from Germany
2nd.Leibhusar said:
From there you drive 175 km south-east to Reims, to visit Fort de la Pompelle, considered by many as the top WW1 museum, with an impressive Pickelhaube collection.
And since you still did not get enough, you take a further 120-km trip westwards to Paris to visit Les Invalides. On your way, about 80 km from Reims, stop in Meaux to see the exceptional Musee de la Grande Guerre.
Khukri
Well-known member
Sadly, this museum is closed now. Collection for sale.
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michiel
Well-known member
I did visit both musea very often, and understood that both collection belong to the same individual,
it really is a shame that it is closed en for sale
as I said before I think it is heartbreaking when outstanding public accessible collections get dispersed and inaccessible to the public...
I understood the French government did not want to buy the collection to preserve it for public benefit which is a shame,
The Friese collection in Reims was nationalized in this way and has remained public available in Fort de la Pompelle...
I will try to attach a short movie from the big monument at notre dame de Lorette on which the names of the soldiers that perished were engraved for that section of the western front, the amount of names is jaw dropping
(I don't know whether this site support short video's for upload as the size is much bigger than individual images)
it really is a shame that it is closed en for sale
as I said before I think it is heartbreaking when outstanding public accessible collections get dispersed and inaccessible to the public...
I understood the French government did not want to buy the collection to preserve it for public benefit which is a shame,
The Friese collection in Reims was nationalized in this way and has remained public available in Fort de la Pompelle...
I will try to attach a short movie from the big monument at notre dame de Lorette on which the names of the soldiers that perished were engraved for that section of the western front, the amount of names is jaw dropping
(I don't know whether this site support short video's for upload as the size is much bigger than individual images)
michiel
Well-known member
The 20 second video seems to big of upload, found some photo's online, this monument shows names of 500.000+ soldiers killed and the immense scale helpt to feel what kind of amount of individual lives those numbers represent
(as humans our brain cannot really understand numbers that big, this moment with individual names at an enormous scale really helpt to grab that notion..
(as humans our brain cannot really understand numbers that big, this moment with individual names at an enormous scale really helpt to grab that notion..
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gino1
Well-known member
Dat maakt je echt sprakeloos, als je het vergelijkt met die stomme oorlogen nu, altijd voor niets
Königsulan
New member
Interesting is .. wehre they sold all this helmet ? Did you know it
regards
Kö.ulan
regards
Kö.ulan
CLOVIS 57
Well-known member
The two museums, "La Targette" and "Notre Dame de Lorette," have been closed since January 1, 2026. Neither the French State, nor the Region, the Department, nor the city of Lens wanted to showcase this private collection. They prefer to build large, modern buildings with screening rooms, videos, films... (the kind you can watch at home on TV) or wargames like at Disneyland.
Part of the reserve has already been sold by AIOLFI Auction in Wavres, Belgium. The 75mm guns that were slated for destruction by France were sold to the Americans. One of them is at West Point.The rest is still under discussion... contacts have been made with Aiolfi, as well as with Hermann-Historika.
I would add to the list the Cinquantenaire Museum in Brussels, near Waterloo. Ten years ago, there was still a large "WW1" room.
michiel
Well-known member
that room stil exists, and it is fabulous!!The two museums, "La Targette" and "Notre Dame de Lorette," have been closed since January 1, 2026. Neither the French State, nor the Region, the Department, nor the city of Lens wanted to showcase this private collection. They prefer to build large, modern buildings with screening rooms, videos, films... (the kind you can watch at home on TV) or wargames like at Disneyland.
The rest is still under discussion... contacts have been made with Aiolfi, as well as with Hermann-Historika.
I would add to the list the Cinquantenaire Museum in Brussels, near Waterloo. Ten years ago, there was still a large "WW1" room.
it was even better 35 - 40 years plus ago, when around the room were more than 30 grabenpanzer with helmets lances and swords displayed, as decoration and the room was literally stuffed with old-fashioned showcases, full of uniforms,
Then it was closed down of over e decade to reopen 27 ? years ago with the current exhibition:
lots of uniforms en pickelhaubes,
and one of the few remaining mark tanks on display with doors open so you can look inside
as it is only 50 miles away I go there regularly
some impressions from 2022, with my son
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Ex_Scout
Active member
Bayerisches Armeemuseum - Home
armeemuseum.de
Bayrisches Armee Museum Ingolstadt - definitely a visit worth, even if there is not that big mass of spike helmets for display!
