The painting has become an iconic image of the founding of the German nation state: ‘The Proclamation of the German Empire (18 January 1871)’, painted by Anton von Werner. The imperial family gave the work to Bismarck in 1885 for his 70th birthday. It is one of several hundred objects in the museum that illustrate his life and the cult surrounding his person. On display are his fencing equipment from his student days in Göttingen, his princely diploma and the chair in which he sat opposite Emperor Napoleon III on the morning after the Battle of Sedan in 1870. Two pistols bear witness to the assassination attempts made on the statesman, as do numerous medals and the esteem in which he was held. In one room, the study of the first Imperial Chancellor is recreated with original furniture.