Robert Rückel is the director of Berlin’s Deutschlandmuseum, which opened for the first time in June 2023. He was responsible for the permanent exhibition of the DDR Museum Berlin in 2006 (nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2008) and the German Spy Museum in 2018 (nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2020), among others. He is the driving force behind the idea of the Deutschlandmuseum, the sister museum of the German Spy Museum.
The vision for this new museum was to offer exhibitions with both historical and educational content, and the entertainment value of a theme park or movie set. To do this, Rückel recruited a team of notable experts, including historians, designers, architects, game designers, and planners. The Deutschlandmuseum offers a journey through twelve eras of German history. Guests pass through a historic forest, a mediaeval castle, a trench from World War I, a shopping centre from the Wilhelminian era, and a Berlin S-Bahn.
The exhibition spaces are realistic and immersive, with thoughtfully chosen lighting effects, noises, and décor that all work together to improve the overall experience. Shop windows gleam in the Golden Twenties, castles have creaky floors and the scent of gunpowder, forests feel authentic, and in 1945 Berlin is reduced to ashes. Spaces are digitally expanded by 3D projections. To educate visitors about each era, the museum concentrates on entertaining elements like interactive maps, digital displays, and artwork. Visitors can easily discover history, even if they have no prior knowledge, thanks to the media’s brief looping format.
One nominator said: “I’ve always admired Robert’s determination and his ability to make knowledge easily accessible. “It’s all about sharing knowledge” was Robert’s mission and still is. He has formed the museum landscape in Berlin for years with innovative concepts. During his function as director of the GDR Museum, he did pioneering work, developing a concept for a museum that was visionary at that time: History to experience and to touch. Under his leadership, the GDR Museum became one of the most important attractions in Berlin.”