The Museum of Hamburg History (MHG) celebrates its 100th anniversary on August 28th. On the occasion of the milestone birthday, the venerable, historical building on the Holstenwall invites you to a free party from 11.30 a.m.
After a welcome by the museum director Bettina Probst and the head of the Historical Museums Foundation, Hans-Jörg Czech, the celebrations start with live music, a stage program, children’s activities and half-hour tours. A “review” of the museum’s collection based on 100 special objects is also planned in the special exhibition room.
As part of the tours through various exhibition areas, the museum curators report on their work under the motto “A look behind the scenes – what remains, what comes?”. Live speakers are also available to answer questions from visitors in the permanent exhibition. Of course, the talks and guided tours will not just be about the past. Because the largest of the city’s historical museums, which with around 530,000 objects is also one of the largest urban history museums in Europe, will be comprehensively modernized in the coming years.
The board of directors Czech is looking forward to an “exciting redesign of the content that will include old and new issues of the city and regional history as well as current social discourses.” will tell the entire history of Hamburg from the 8th century to the present. Visitors can orientate themselves using key objects, such as the so-called Störtebeker skull or the city and port models, which are conveyed using multimedia.
Topics that have so far received less attention or been considered separately, such as the history of the immigrants or Jewish life in Hamburg, will in future be included in the large tour. “The MHG is called upon to modernize not only structurally but also in terms of content,” says Probst. “This includes conveying the history of the Free and Hanseatic City more effectively in its national and international context and addressing important, hitherto neglected topics.”
A second museum entrance from the park side will be another major innovation, and the museum gastronomy with terrace area will then be oriented towards the ramparts. “Due to the upcoming conversion, the house can develop further and will open up even more to the city,” explains Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda (SPD). As early as 2015, 18 million euros each were made available by the federal government and the city for the comprehensive modernization. “The museum is closely linked to life in Hamburg and plays an important role in the city’s memory,” said the senator.
The desire of the Hamburg citizens to preserve special objects as evidence of the city’s history for the future is almost twice as old as the museum itself. The Association for Hamburg History was founded as early as 1839, which brought together a collection of Hamburg antiquities – including, for example, architectural fragments of the former cathedral or the old town hall destroyed in the great fire of 1842.
In 1906, the Senate decided to found the museum, whose magnificent building was erected between 1914 and 1922 according to the plans of Fritz Schumacher, chief building director at the time. The building site was appropriately historical: the Henricus bastion, built in the 17th century as part of the baroque city fortifications (ramparts), was once located here.
Schumacher integrated components into his modern brick building that came from former town houses and state buildings – and thus permanently connected history with the present. The modernization of the museum today refers to Schumacher’s ideas and is based on the old building plans in view of the monument protection requirements. “Museums have to keep reinventing themselves in order to remain sustainable,” explains Probst.
The idea of a fruitful amalgamation of yesterday, today and tomorrow is also reflected in the live music program for the 100th birthday. For example, Felix Jederck performs classical cello works with jazz standards and electronics (12 p.m.), while the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Hamburg performs works by Jewish composers and a repertoire from the baroque to the modern (1 p.m.).
From 2 p.m. Sebastian Pöhlmann will play jazzy-ballad and romantic-classical pieces on the piano. In the afternoon, the Hip Hop Academy will present dance performances on the stage in the museum’s courtyard. A small printing workshop opens for children and families, and the model railway is also put into operation.
The anniversary volume “1922 to 2022 – Hundred Years of the Museum of Hamburg History” has also been published to mark the milestone birthday. Among other things, it presents 100 objects from the collection, which also includes ship models, musical instruments, graphics and photography, coins and medals.
Celebration of the 100th birthday of the Museum of Hamburg History: Sunday, August 28, start: 11:30 a.m
