'Germany' in London

It's the first thing long-time museum patrons and first-time visitors see as they enter the cavernous, 260-year-old British Museum: a Volkswagen Beetle​.

​The much-loved icon announces the flagship exhibition "Germany: Memories of a Nation" in this London temple of human history and culture.

​Museum curators and marketers know that it can be a challenge attracting visitors in the UK to a Germany-focused exhibition, especially ​when there's been a conscious effort to avoid stereotypical drawing cards like ​Bratwurst or "oompah" bands.

Take ​Lorraine Martin from just outside London, visiting the museum with her husband and two young daughters. The cute VW made no difference to her. She immediately assumed an exhibition about Germany must be about the Nazis.

"When we arrived here, I saw the signs up and I thought, 'No, I don't want to go in, I don't want to see anything about the Second World War or the Holocaust,'" she commented.

'Doing its job'

The history of World War II dominates what the British know about Germany and how they view the Germans. And the Nazi era's reach is undeniably broad - even the friendly- looking VW Beetle is a creation of that part of German history.

Yet this exhibition, which opened on 16th October, is selling out, or near capacity, every day.

Barrie Cook is its lead curator. He says, "It does seem to engage the visitors. It is doing its job well."

Starting with the inspiring footage of East Germans pouring across the border into West Germany in 1989, the exhibition takes visitors at a rapid but considered pace through Germany's history from the Holy Roman Empire through unification in 1871 as well as that of the troubled 20th century, to the 21st century financial powerhouse that lies at the center of Europe.

Cook says it aims to look at how modern Germany has come to be, through objects - some of which had never left Germany before - that tell less-known stories of the country's past.

Full of surprises

Museum visitor Roy Hughes from Chester in the east of England, says he had no idea that Germany's borders have shifted constantly over the centuries. "I'm very surprised. It's very good. I really enjoyed it. I also liked the way they didn't dwell too much on the war," he said.

Barry Johnson, who traveled more than 400 kilometers from Cornwall with his wife to see the Germany exhibition, said he would have liked even more depth of information on some subjects, but that it was "very inventive, terrific" and "a real eye-opener."

"I don't think we know enough about German history and development because we're quite insular. It was very informative. I'd go again and learn more," he said.

It's something that the British Museum would never have considered 10 years ago, says curator Barrie Cook. But the British seem ready to learn more about Germany today.

"There does seem to be a feeling that yes, it's time and yes, this is interesting," said Cook, as he offered a tour around the exhibition. "Let's think about Gutenberg and Goethe and Dürer, not as individuals but as Germans, and really take on board this contribution that has been made to the world we live in."

Waltraud Bauer, from Tegernsee in Bavaria, was visiting London for the weekend and happened to read about the exhibition in the German newspaper she'd brought with her from home. She says she feels that although there are details that have been left out, it is a good overview for an English audience with much information of which the average Brit would probably be unaware.

"There were parts of it which made me think, 'How fantastic that we invented this!'" said Bauer. "But it wasn't in anyway bombastic or arrogant or suggesting that Germany should be this leading figure again. It really was a very objective overview."

Emotional reactions

Of course, the exhibition also includes World War II. There's an anti-Semitic propaganda poster on display and a replica of the Buchenwald concentration camp's main gate with the slogan "Jedem das Seine," meaning "To each his own" or more bitterly, "To each, what he deserves."

But it manages to stay balanced, says visitor Waltraud Bauer, in part by including the struggles of German civilians during and after the war. A rickety, wooden refugee cart from East Pomerania illustrates a German woman's 1500-kilometer walk to the West, the cart holding all of her remaining belongings.

It's an exhibition that has succeeded in getting under some people's skin, according to curator Barry Cook: "There were a few tears shed when we took some people and patrons around (on tours), and there were some emotional reactions there."

Whatever reaction the exhibition is generating - whether emotion, interest or surprise - it is certainly succeeding in winning its visitors over, says Cook. Maybe that's because this exhibition avoids stereotypes, but it's also not trying to sell a revamped image of Germany. It's simply "bringing forward ideas that are part of the German story," says Cook.

Those ideas include a quirky tribute to Germany's victory in the 2014 soccer World Cup. As visitors exit the exhibition, they're greeted by a smiling garden gnome proudly sporting star German football player Özil's number 10 jersey.

"Did you know the modern 'Gartenzwerg' was created in Thuringia in the 1840s?", asks Barrie Cook with a smile. "And that there are 25 million garden gnomes in Germany today?"

The 'Germany: Memories of a Nation' exhibition runs until 25 January 2015 at London's British Museum.