The new natural history museum in Freiburg is taking shape
Published: Sunday, Aug 4th 2024, 11:50
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The new Fribourg Natural History Museum (NHMF) is set to welcome its first visitors at the end of 2028. Construction work is progressing on the CHF 65.5 million project, which was approved by voters in June 2023.
The NHMF is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. However, it is not only looking back on an eventful history, but is also preparing for the future: it is moving into the old arsenal, which is being renovated and extended.
Construction work began at the end of October 2023. After demolition work, the space for the future underground car park and the sewage system was dug. The wooden beam ceilings in the 120-year-old building were reinforced. The NHMF expects the shell of the building to be completed in 2025.
Listed building
The new museum was planned by the Freiburg architects Zamparo Architectes. The project aims to create a modern museum while preserving the listed building from 1905.
The new museum will have a larger usable area than the old one, namely 6100 square meters. The first floor will house the foyer, a cafeteria, a museum store, a multi-purpose room and a studio for cultural education. The two upper floors will be available for exhibitions.
Immersive exhibitions
Work is not only being done on the building, but also on the future permanent exhibition. The NHMF launched a competition for the scenography. The plan is for visitors to be able to immerse themselves in individual themes thanks to virtual technology. Preliminary projects for the scenography are to be developed from the fall.
It has already been decided that the permanent exhibition will cover an area of 2000 square meters in a total of four halls. One room will be dedicated to the history of the museum and its collection and one to the history of life. The other two rooms will focus on current topics and challenges.
Not everything will be new in the new museum. The NHMF promises that the public will also come across old acquaintances such as the taxidermied sei whale and the sperm whale skeleton.
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