The Historical Technical Museum Peenemünde is located on the site of the former Peenemünde Army Research Centre, which, between 1936 and 1945, became the largest military research complex in Europe. Covering an area of approximately 25 square kilometres, the site employed up to 12,000 people working on the development of new weapons, most notably the Fi 103 (V1) cruise missile and the A4 (V2) rocket. Conceived as weapons of terror against civilian populations, these missiles were largely manufactured by forced labourers and were deployed against cities in Western Europe from 1944 onwards.

The museum is housed in the former power station, the last fully preserved building of the research complex. As both a museum and a historical monument, it conveys the industrial scale of the armaments programme and the infrastructure required to support it. Interactive displays explain the construction and operation of the power station, while preserving the building as an authentic witness to the wartime site.

The permanent exhibition, The Ends of the Parabola, traces the history of German rocket technology from its experimental beginnings in the 1920s to its military application at Peenemünde. It examines the development of the A4 rocket, its mass production at the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, and its use during the Second World War. A second section follows the technological legacy of Peenemünde into the Cold War, showing how research conducted for military purposes continued to influence missile and space technologies after 1945. Replicas of the V1 and V2, together with other large-scale exhibits, are displayed outdoors.

Beyond the technical history, the museum places strong emphasis on the human and ethical dimensions of the site. Its exhibitions examine who worked in Peenemünde, the role of forced labour, the objectives of the Nazi armaments programme, and the consequences of technological innovation developed for war. The museum also explores broader questions about militarisation, scientific responsibility, and the relationship between technological progress and society. From the rooftop viewing platform, visitors can appreciate the vast scale of the former research centre, providing a tangible sense of one of the most significant military-industrial sites of the Second World War.