Museumsquartier Bern
There are 11 culture and education institutions between Helvetiaplatz and Kirchenfeldstrasse. This diversity offers limitless synergies between the institutions and enables them to create joint programmes and build a new urban space – the Museumsquartier Bern.
History
People have been talking about a Museumsquartier (Museum Quarter) in Bern for decades.
In 2019, the Canton of Bern, City of Bern and Burgergemeinde (citizens’ commune) of Bern jointly commissioned a feasibility study that takes various development requirements and requests into account.
In January 2021, the directorates of the Alpine Museum of Switzerland, the Bern Historical Museum, the Museum of Communication and the Natural History Museum of Bern set out their vision for the Museumsquartier Bern in a position paper.
The Association Museumsquartier Bern was founded in June 2021. A total of 11 institutions from the Kirchenfeld district aim to merge their operations in a four-year development phase (2021 to 2024), creating joint offerings and an umbrella brand as well as developing a new urban space.
ALPS Alpine Museum of Switzerland
Bern Historical Museum
Gymnasium Kirchenfeld
Kunsthalle Bern
Museum of Communication
Natural History Museum of Bern
University of Teacher Education Bern, Institute of Continuing Education and Services
Swiss Shooting Museum Bern
Swiss National Library
Bern Archives
Yehudi Menuhin Forum
The development phase (2021 to 2024)
The development of the Museumsquartier Bern is a large-scale change process involving 11 institutions, all of which have their own disciplinary background, their own legal and organisational structures and their own business cultures.
A collaborative and iterative approach is adopted in this process – in working groups made up of employees from the various institutions accompanied by specialists, we are pooling resources in order to develop a charter, an organisational structure that allows us to collaborate efficiently and sustainably, collaborative projects, and an umbrella brand for the Museumsquartier Bern.
In parallel with the collaboration on cultural contents, the Museumsquartier Bern will be developed as an urban space and museum cluster. The fundamental decisions necessary for this will be taken during the development phase, with the process being coordinated together with the City of Bern.
Museum garden
The museum garden will be created as an attractive space for people to visit – situated between the Bern Historical Museum and the Museum of Communication on Helvetiastrasse. In parallel with the evolving construction projects, an interim purpose for will be developed with the employees and the residents, with the new space serving as a research centre for potential collaborations and projects.
Various campaigns, workshops and events will be offered for the employees and the public in order to gather knowledge and ideas and to prompt discourse about the development of the Museumsquartier Bern.
Team
Office
Managing director: Michèle Zweifel
Communication and Events: Jael Amina Kaufmann
Project Support Umbrella Brand: Barbara Brandmaier
Board committee
Beat Hächler, ALPS Alpine Museum of Switzerland (Chair)
Christoph Beer, Natural History Museum of Bern
Damian Elsig, Swiss National Library
Jacqueline Strauss, Museum of Communication
Thomas Pauli-Gabi, Bern Historical Museum
Association
President: Luc Mentha
Board:
Elena Balzardi, Swiss National Library
Christoph Beer, Natural History Museum of Bern
Damian Elsig, Swiss National Library
Roland Gerber, Bern Archives
Nico Gurtner, Museum of Communication
Beat Hächler, ALPS Alpine Museum of Switzerland
Franziska Karlen, Swiss Shooting Museum
Barbara Keller, ALPS Alpine Museum of Switzerland
iLiana Fokianaki, Kunsthalle Bern
Thomas Pauli-Gabi, Bern Historical Museum
Merja Rinderli, Bern Historical Museum
Erich Stettler, Natural History Museum of Bern
Jacqueline Strauss, Museum of Communication
Contact
Location
Helvetiastrasse 14
3005 Bern
Postal address
Museumsquartier Bern
c/o Bernisches Historisches Museum
Helvetiaplatz 5
3005 Bern
Annual Report
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2023