New Historical Museum: Masterpiece of Architecture in the Palatinate!

New Historical Museum: Masterpiece of Architecture in the Palatinate!

In July 2024, the winning design for the new extension of the Historical Museum was presented in Speyer. After this presentation, intensive negotiations with the architects took place. Alexander Schubert, the director of the museum, is optimistic and expresses that for the first time he has the feeling that something starts to move. The responsible architects were able to contribute to the further development of the museum with creative ideas and innovative approaches.

The plans for the extension were referred to as "milestone", both by the former mayor Werner Schineller and by the current mayor Stefanie Seiler. The challenges for the project are considerable, in particular the consideration of the listed old building, which was built in 1910 by Gabriel von Seidl.

overview of the planning competitions

For the planned extension, there was an extensive planning competition in which several architectural firms were involved. The first place, the architecture firm Wandel Lorch Götze Wach GmbH from Frankfurt am Main, received high recognition for his design. The jury, chaired by Kunibert, awarded a total of twelve competition contributions. The other forms of prices took Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos GmbH from Berlin as a second place and Staab Architects GmbH from Berlin.

The designs offer interesting approaches to respect the historical inventory and at the same time integrate modern elements. The winning design is characterized by a playful lightness and integrates a wide staircase that does not replace the existing staircase but complements. The choice of material includes green ceramic elements for the special exhibition areas and reddish colored sandstone slabs for the base, which gives the new building a harmonious appearance.

exhibition and expectations

The competition work was issued from July 2 to 12 in the museum's showroom, which was the opportunity to take a look at the different approaches without having to make a prior registration. The implementation of the plans is estimated to be at least eight years, since cost estimates can only take place after the construction concept has been determined.

Alexander Schubert has pleaded to revitalize the dilapidated cultivation in the past ten years. The new plans creates an ensemble that respects the historical old building, while new public spaces are created. The extension is divided into three main zones: a foyer, an event room and gastronomy.

Overall, the expansion of the historical museum in Speyer is not only seen as an architectural development, but also as a cultural attraction that is supposed to attract new visitor flows and has fresh ideas. More information can be found on the pages of the Speyer info href = "https://www.competitionline.com/de?buildings=101"> Competitionline .