Museum Island gets the "Reinhold Würth Centre for Cultural Education and Mediation in the Bastian House" in 2017 - Grütters and Parzinger thank Reinhold Würth and the Heiner Bastian family for their generous commitment
Press release from 09/30/2016
The "Haus Bastian" on Kupfergraben, built by David Chipperfield, will become the "Reinhold Würth Centre for Cultural Education and Mediation in Haus Bastian" of the National Museums in Berlin. A generous donation from entrepreneur and collector Reinhold Würth and an equally generous offer from the Bastian family will enable the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation to acquire the building next year.
In the immediate vicinity of the Museum Island, the building offers spacious rooms for the development and establishment of future-oriented educational and communication programmes of the National Museums in Berlin. These will be available to a wide audience from the end of 2017 / beginning of 2018: Children and families, young people, adults, pupils and students as well as intercultural and inclusive groups. By preparing for or following up a visit to the museum in differently designed rooms, the aim is to enable cross-museum experiences and interdisciplinary learning in a variety of ways. The diverse programme will focus in particular on topics and issues that build bridges between all the collections and buildings on Museum Island.
The architecturally outstanding building in an absolutely prominent location opposite the Museum Island has so far served as a gallery building. Céline,
Aeneas and Heiner Bastian have offered the building as a generous gift to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation for cultural purposes, forgoing any profit. The entrepreneur and collector Reinhold Würth has agreed with the President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger, and the Director General of the National Museums in Berlin, Michael Eissenhauer, to donate the funds for the acquisition of the house. This will enable the SPK to take over the impressive building next year. The operation of the centre can also be financed from Reinhold Würth's initial contribution. Minister of State Monika Grütters and Foundation President Hermann Parzinger thank Reinhold Würth and Heiner Bastian for their generous commitment.
Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters honoured Reinhold Würth's patronage and the Bastian family's generous and charitable commitment to finding a future-oriented use for this gallery building: "In the urban context of the Neues Museum, also designed by David Chipperfield, and the entrance building of the Museum Island, the most noble task of museums is taking shape - cultural education and mediation is now getting its own building. This was made possible thanks to the generous and noble commitment of two patrons: Heiner Bastian and Reinhold Würth. Both have always shown their closeness to art in their own work, and with this gesture both are now placing the value of culture for the next generation and the cohesion of society centre stage. I would like to thank the patrons for their joint efforts and wish the Reinhold Würth Centre for Cultural Education and Mediation at Haus Bastian a future full of visitors."
According to Hermann Parzinger, President of the Foundation, the "Reinhold Würth Centre for Education and Mediation at Haus Bastian" will enable the National Museums in Berlin to establish the Museum Island as an exemplary place for cultural education. "We have a serious shortage of spaces for modern education and outreach work on Museum Island. Due to the strict monument protection requirements, it was not possible to create sufficient space for the diverse and constantly growing requirements of cultural education as part of the refurbishment measures and thus also to fulfil an increasingly clearly formulated political demand. With the new "Reinhold Würth Centre for Cultural Education and Mediation in Haus Bastian", we are finally in a position to respond to this and significantly expand educational work on the Museum Island. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the National Museums in Berlin are extremely grateful to both sponsors for their civic commitment, which will also send a strong signal to future generations of museum visitors."
Michael Eissenhauer, Director General of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: "The spacious architecture of David Chipperfield's building is ideal for opening up new spaces for the various user groups. The National Museums in Berlin, led by Heike Kropff, Head of the Education / Communication Department, have been working on a forward-looking concept for education and communication for a good three years. We are delighted that the "Reinhold Würth Centre for Cultural Education and Communication in Haus Bastian" will give the educational mission and aspirations of the National Museums in Berlin a visibility that extends far beyond the Museum Island. For us, the centre should become an interface - between our diverse collections, the Museum Island, the Humboldt Forum and the international guests and citizens of this city."
Reinhold Würth emphasised the importance of the future centre for cultural education and mediation: "The facility will be an enrichment for laypeople and experts alike for the exchange of information, opinions and ideas in the large art environment of Berlin's museums as a cultural venue in the background."
Heiner Bastian explained: "Our family is delighted that the building, which we planned and realised with David Chipperfield, will continue to be dedicated exclusively to culture in the future. A commercial sale would never have been an option for us. We have always been aware that architecture directly on Museum Island entails a special responsibility. By handing it over to the foundation, we are honouring this responsibility, especially as the building is so welcome to the foundation. We would also like to thank Mr Würth for his commitment."
The "Haus Bastian" was built in 2006/2007 and has a gross floor area of almost two thousand square metres. The aim is to develop a usage and space concept that allows for a range of different uses: Workshops, study and project days, open workshops, lectures and discussion groups, etc. The design of the rooms is based on the findings of learning theories, which state that learning processes are diverse and individual and develop best in a free and flexible working environment. Spacious work areas alternate with units for researching and studying, communicating and discussing, presenting, reflecting and relaxing. The content concept on which the funding is based will be developed by the Education / Communication Department of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in the coming months.