Museumsquartier BernBern (CH)

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In the Kirchenfeld area, to the south of Bern old town, eleven cultural institutions open their doors to over half a million visitors each year: Kunsthalle Bern, the Swiss Alpine Museum, Jehudi Menuhin Forum, the PH Bern Mediothek, Bern Historical Museum, the Natural History Museum of Bern, Museum of Communication, the Swiss Rifle Museum, the Bern Municipal Archives, the Swiss National Library and Kirchenfeld Gymnasium.

In a feasibility study, bogner.knoll has compiled basic conceptual ideas to develop a holistically designed cultural district, lively and centred around the needs of the population and the visitors, from the current collection of autonomous institutions, separated by fences and parking spaces. The cultural and scientific resources of the museums, archives and libraries as well as a variety of public recreational spaces will also be made easily accessible and attractively designed for the population of the district, the city and the canton of Bern, and above all, also for visitors from across the world. The production of content-related, spatial and functional connections and the possibility to make common use of these to save costs are meant to create conditions for a selective collaboration and interdisciplinary discussions.

In the future museum district, reflective viewing, playing and learning, edification and disillusionment, consuming and meditating, a sensual and scientific approach towards social questions, culture, nature and art shall be closely interwoven, and the responsibility towards society expressed in all areas by an attitude determined by inclusion and participation.

The study has been presented to the public at the end of April 2019. In the following phase requirements for the implementation were defined under conceptual management of bogner.knoll.

© bogner.knoll/Van de Wetering/Emch+Berger