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A first glimpse

The entrance

The Museum Selma sees itself as a ‘third place’: a place where people enjoy spending time and which is not subject to consumption. Large areas in the spacious foyer are freely accessible.

Even in the entrance area of the museum, the first impression is characterised by plenty of natural light, sustainable wooden fixtures and lots of free space for reflection, experience and development. A wooden open staircase in the ‘Open Space’ invites visitors to linger and enjoy the view of the temporary exhibitions.

The bright entrance area of the museum can be seen. The old railway tracks run along the floor and the supporting structure and crane runways of the old industrial hall can be seen above. In the centre is a large wooden staircase that serves as access to the upper rooms or as a place to linger. Sitting on the stairs, visitors can look into the area for the temporary exhibitions. The ticket counter is on the right.
Atelier Brückner
You can see the long side aisle of the museum hall. People are sitting at tables and on benches, children are playing on the floor. A ticket counter can be seen in the centre. On the right is the entrance/exit.
Atelier Brückner

The foyer extends over 200 metres along the side aisle of the hall. It is freely accessible and provides access to the exhibition, the cinema, the event rooms and service areas. A catering area offers drinks and snacks inside and outside.

The exhibition

The core of the permanent exhibition consists of a chronological presentation of German history, supplemented by perspectives on migration, as well as six concept rooms that create unique visitor experiences.

Intro and Outro
The entrance to the permanent exhibition at Museum Selma can be seen. The side aisle of the museum hall with its steel supporting structure and light-coloured roof is clearly visible. People walk past large panels depicting moments in German history.

This is how the exhibition is entered and exited: Visitors are confronted with several large-format images. The events shown there are very familiar, but are not primarily associated with migration. 
Visitors encounter this element again before they leave the exhibition - but their view of it has changed.

The chronology
There is a large exhibition space with explanatory panels, display cases with objects and people looking at them. Above it hovers a large band with illustrations for the years 1945 to the present.

Chronology is at the heart of the exhibition: it forms the spatial centre of the museum and is also the core of the museum concept - all themes radiate outwards from the timeline. Visitors begin their tour via the inviting entrance area and can then explore the exhibition on a free-flow course.

The permanent exhibition: Detailed view
On display are showcases and installations from the planned exhibition. Two of the concept rooms that can be entered are indicated in the background.

Detailed insight into the permanent exhibition: showcases with historical objects and artistic installations bring migration history to life. The entrance to two concept rooms can be seen in the background.

The light installation: Dandelion
You can see a round room with high curtains. People are sitting on sofas. In the centre is a large dandelion and many small dandelions as a light installation.

A special ‘breathing space’ is created in the Love concept room. An immersive space for reflection on the content presented and the idea of love. This space is a cylindrical media, light and sound installation that is separated from the other themes by a veil.

The entrance to the permanent exhibition at Museum Selma can be seen. The side aisle of the museum hall with its steel supporting structure and light-coloured roof is clearly visible. People walk past large panels depicting moments in German history. There is a large exhibition space with explanatory panels, display cases with objects and people looking at them. Above it hovers a large band with illustrations for the years 1945 to the present. On display are showcases and installations from the planned exhibition. Two of the concept rooms that can be entered are indicated in the background. You can see a round room with high curtains. People are sitting on sofas. In the centre is a large dandelion and many small dandelions as a light installation.

Everything under one roof

In addition to the exhibition spaces, further rooms will be created that will allow the museum to be used in a variety of ways. A cinema, a digital lab, a freely usable open space and areas for children. This makes it clear that this is not a ‘classic’ museum, but a new type of museum that is open to a wide variety of communities in a participatory way. 

Modular event rooms can be used for everything from small seminars to conferences, company celebrations and cultural events: Readings, concerts, dance and much more. The collection of over 150,000 artefacts will also be available to the public, researchers and academics in new storage rooms and a library. The Museum Selma thus combines all uses in one place.

Grafik verschiedener Nutzungen im Museum. Unter einem Dach vereint sind Ausstellungsräume, Eventflächen, Depots und Museumsservice.

Sustainably planned

Zu sehen sind rostige Schienen im Seitenschiff der Halle.

The aim of the energy concept is to create an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient museum building. It should offer a high level of comfort in key areas, cause little CO₂ - both during construction and operation - and be cheap to run on a day-to-day basis. Part of the existing building will be sensibly refurbished and integrated into the new concept.

Clever passive and active measures will be used to achieve ambitious energy standards despite the museum's high energy requirements.

The refurbishment is based on the City of Cologne's climate protection guidelines. The materials used - such as wood or polycarbonate - were selected according to the cradle-to-cradle principle, i.e. with a view to recyclability and environmental friendliness.

Museums have a special responsibility to become model pioneers in structural adaptation to climate change.