The Exile Museum will open its doors in 2025
Every nook, corner and monument of berlin It supposes a reflection, a story that has not yet been told, an indisputable trace of the past that is worth recovering to transmit a message and teach. Commemorating the thousands of stories of those Germans who have been forced to emigrate since 1933 is the main leitmotif behind the Exile Museum , which has recently decided to embark on a renovation project to enhance its symbolism.
The architecture firm of Danish origin, Dorte Mandrup , will be in charge of concretizing the sketch as it has prevailed over prestigious international studios in a contest organized by the museum, the Department of Urban Development and Housing of berlin and the district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.
The facade of the old Anhalter Bahnhof train station located on Askanischer Platz has inspired them to erect a design that presumes to be an architectural jewel, with a simple and curved shape, but with the remains of what was once the entrance through which a countless people fled abroad.
The firm Dorte Mandrup will be in charge of finalizing the project
The proposal of the museum based in the German capital is a complete immersion in the stories of migrants from the 30s and, at the same time, includes a exhaustive look at the current problem of exile.
THE RENOVATION OF THE EXILE MUSEUM IN BERLIN
Nestled in the historic train station Anhalter Bahnhof Inaugurated in 1841 –which suffered serious damage at the hands of the Allies and ceased its service when the city was divided by the Wall in 1961–, the new museum building will seek to show a close relationship with the ruins of the portico that stand today as an important monument and symbol of all exiled during World War II.
“Our design creates a soft backdrop for the ruins of the Anhalter Bahnhof train station. , as if the millions of yellow bricks that were piled up after its demolition were raised to show the character of the historical fragment”, Dorte Mandrup told Traveler.es.
The museum will be located at the entrance of the Anhalter Bahnhof station
The renovated space Exile Museum will host a permanent exhibition, temporary exhibitions, historical data in immersive rooms and biographies of German citizens who have had to leave their home due to the Nazi regime or World War II, thus emphasizing the period that takes place between 1933 and 1945.
“Addressing the issue of exile after 1933 is, more than anything, finding human stories of extraordinary drama. It is essential to remember what the refugees suffered at that time and what they achieved , above all because it sheds light on the present and a future that is increasingly marked by the flow of migrants”, says Christoph Stölzl, Founding Director of the Berlin Exile Museum, in a statement.
With a area of more than 6,300 square meters , said construction will have three floors and a basement, in which there will be educational facilities, a restaurant and a lobby that through its design will try to aesthetically become the continuation of the square.
But, in addition, in this new space, visitors will be able to admire the ruins of the station entrance that will remain intact with the aim of intertwining the past with the present, keeping an incisive gaze on the more than 65 million people who are being displaced from their homes.
The Exile Museum will open its doors in Berlin in 2025
It should be noted that there are still a few years to observe the finished work, given that the Exile Museum plans to open its doors in Berlin in 2025 with a free ticket.