The guide opens by describing the ever-changing history of the museum. In two clearly structured and richly illustrated chapters the various departments present their respective collections and individual items - Prehistory and Early History, Archaeology, paintings and sculptures ranging from the early Middle Ages to the present. Also included are Block Beuys, Applied Art, the Graphic Collection, as well as Zoology, Mineralogy and Geology-Palaeontology including the fossils from the Messel Pit UNESCO World Heritage site.

The main focus of the museum guide is not on a classical tour of the building. It is rather a well-founded consolidation, classification and visualisation of the collections enabling the reader to become familiar with the museum, as an in-depth analysis, or as a follow-up and recollection of the museum visit.