Museum Wortreich. Revitalisation of the city centre.

The Wortreich Museum, opened in November 2011, is exactly what its name implies: Wortreich is German for “in many words”, but it is also an allusion to the “reign of words”: after all, this is the land of the Brothers Grimm, and 2013 marks the bicentennial of their famous collection of fairy-tales.

The Wortreich is the main attraction in Schilde-Park, under construction on the site of the old Schilde factory, which was moved out of town, freeing up space in the city centre.

The museum is located in the tall early 20th century industrial building, an industrial monument which is now considered a heritage building, limiting the work that can be done on it.

The project proposes an interesting combination of a restored old wrapper on outside of the building with a latest generation participatory museum inside: the museum’s focus is on Konrad Duden, inventor of official German spelling, and Konrad Zuse, inventor of the computer, both of whom came from Bad Hersfeld.

The permanent exhibition is designed like a book, divided into chapters; visitors are guided through more than 90 interactive stations suitable for all ages. Temporary exhibitions also focusing on the German language add to the museum’s attractions.

Outside, the park is beginning to take shape and work is expected to be completed in 2013 with the re-naturalisation of the River Geis, which had been covered in cement and is now to be brought back to life again.


Design and concept: Petri & Tiemann, http://www.p-t.de/
Location: Bad Hersfeld, Germany
Museum link: http://www.wortreich-badhersfeld.de/

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