Another significant increase in the number of visits to German museums - over 112 million museum visits in 2012
Press release from 12/16/2013
Museums in Germany reported a total of 112,807,633 museum visits in 2012. This represents an increase of 2.9 per cent compared to 2011 and is the highest number of visits since the survey of visit figures began in 1981. These figures have now been published in the overall statistical survey of museums and exhibition centres in the Federal Republic of Germany. This is compiled annually by the Institute for Museum Research at the National Museums in Berlin in co-operation with the German Museums Association.
The museums cited major special exhibitions and the expansion of museum education and public relations work in the museums as the most important reasons for the increase in visitor numbers. The increase in museum visits in 2012 varied depending on the type of museum. There was particular growth in the natural science and technical museums and art museums, followed by the historical and archaeological museums.
Visitor numbers to exhibition centres also increased in 2012
As part of the overall statistical survey, the Institute for Museum Research also determines the visitor numbers of exhibition centres that do not have their own collection but predominantly show non-commercial exhibitions of a museum nature. For 2012, 354exhibition centres reported a total of 6,594,244 visits (in 2011 there were 6,381,081 visits to exhibition centres). Around 88 per cent of all special exhibitions in the exhibition centres were art exhibitions.
The number of visits to the exhibition centres is not included in the total number of visits to museums. In 2012, museums and exhibition centres together recorded over 119 million visits.
Dr Volker Rodekamp, President of the German Museums Association, comments: "It is very pleasing that museums and exhibition centres were able to increase their overall visitor numbers to an even higher level. The German Museums Association supports museums in continuing to fulfil their tasks in front of and behind the scenes at a high level in accordance with jointly defined standards and to sharpen their profile. Museums and their collections are indispensable partners in a networked information infrastructure and a sustainable cultural landscape. The quality of their exhibitions can only be ensured in the long term if behind-the-scenes tasks such as collecting and research can also be carried out sustainably."
Results of the survey on the status of provenance research at German museums in 2012
As part of the overall statistics for 2012, the status of provenance research in the German museum landscape was also surveyed. Of the 6,355 publicly and privately funded museums contacted, 3,800 (59.8 %) institutions took part in the 2012 survey on the status of provenance research in their institutions. Of these, 2,291 (60.3 % of those answering this question) stated that they owned objects that were created before 1945 and acquired after 1933. Depending on the institution, research into unresolved provenances is being carried out successively on a comprehensive or case-by-case basis. The degree of research always depends on the available personnel capacities.
Funding for personnel and material costs is provided for the implementation of provenance research projects. The Provenance Research Centre, which is affiliated to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin via the Institute for Museum Research, is responsible for coordinating the projects and awarding the funding. The funding and financing of the AfP is provided by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Kulturstiftung der Länder.
Prof. Dr Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, comments on behalf of the museums of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation: "The results of the visits to the museums in Germany are excellent. As a national institution, the Foundation bears a special responsibility in the field of provenance research, but also in other areas of work in museums, libraries and archives, such as the cataloguing of collections and digitisation of holdings."
The 96-page publication of the complete results of the "Overall Statistical Survey of Museums in the Federal Republic of Germany for 2012" contains information on the individual federal states in addition to the presentation of museum visits by type of museum. The publication appears in the series "Materialien aus dem Institut für Museumsforschung", issue 67 (2013) and will be available for download from December 2013. A printed publication can be requested free of charge (Institut für Museumsforschung, In der Halde 1, 14195 Berlin, Tel. 030/8301 460, Fax: 030/8301 504 or by e-mail: ifm(at)smb.spk-berlin(dot)de).