Creative Studio Berlin, the experiential design firm founded by Chris Lange, is celebrating the launch of Deutschlandmuseum in Berlin, which opened to visitors on 17 June.
The firm created an hour-long experience across two floors, which explores 2,000 years of German history. The experience aims to be entertaining – visitors do not require any knowledge of history.
The project has taken under a year from the initial concept to the public opening.
Robert Rückel, director of the Deutschlandmuseum and German Spy Museum, says: “Designing and building this new experience was extremely challenging. We could only archive this with Creative Studio Berlin ́s world-class team of creatives, producers, designers, art directors, architects, and technical directors. They brought their proven partners and suppliers which we could trust with our ambitious timeline.”
An immersive museum experience
For the first time, an exhibition combines extensive historical knowledge of a whole country with 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.
Chris Lange, creative director of the Deutschlandmuseum and owner of Creative Studio Berlin, says: “The client ́s brief was unique: 2,000 years of German history told in 12 epochs in a one-hour experience. Usually, historical national museums present in their exhibitions with impressive collection pieces and theme parks, on the other hand, create fantasy worlds where guests can immersive themselves.”
“Deutschlandmuseum combines both: it enables immersive experiences and at the same time conveys a comprehensive understanding of the respective era. I am very proud of what we have achieved. This experience is quite unique because it breaks down cultural barriers and engages visitors in history.”
The Deutschlandmuseum takes visitors on a trip through 12 periods of German history. They travel through a historic forest, a mediaeval castle, a World War I trench, a Wilhelminian-era shopping complex, and a Berlin S-Bahn in the newly reunified Germany.
Authentic exhibit design
The exhibition spaces are immersive and authentically designed – with carefully considered decor, sounds, smells, and lighting effects that enhance the experience. Forests feel real, castles are complete with creaking floorboards and the smell of gunpowder, shop windows glow in the Golden Twenties, and Berlin is reduced to rubble in 1945. 3D projections digitally extend the spaces.
The museum focuses on entertainment components, such as digital displays, interactive maps, and artworks, to tell visitors about each era. Media plays in short loops which allows visitors to quickly and playfully explore history, even if they have no prior knowledge.
Creative Studio Berlin recently created and developed the new Roaring Twenties experience at Madame Tussauds in Berlin. The zone is a redevelopment of an existing display area, blending into the Berlin 100 exhibition. It covers 300-square-meters and features five waxworks.
Top Image: © David Weyand/Deutschlandmuseum / Germania (Forest of the Varus Battle)
