06.09.2019
Haus Bastian – Zentrum für kulturelle Bildung
Haus Bastian, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin’s new Centre for Cultural Education, opened on 31 August 2019. Situated directly across from the Museumsinsel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Centre features a variety of interrelated themes involving all 15 institutional collections and offers wide-ranging opportunities for innovative education and outreach programmes.
Educational Projects, Forum, Meeting Place
Haus Bastian is a venue intended for a wide audience. School groups and students, children and families, teenagers and adults find more than just an ideal starting point from which to delve into all 15 collections of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. These same groups also have opportunities to follow up on, augment and discuss their observations, experiences and questions in a very creative environment.
In addition to large educational projects that will be realised here in the future, Haus Bastian offers a forum to talk over current and future-oriented questions surrounding educational work, such as social participation, inclusion, and political education. Moreover, Haus Bastian plans to establish itself as a local, national and international meeting place for professionals involved in museum education.
Spaces Designed for Learning, Live Experience and Communication
The building located at Am Kupfergraben 10, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, has been in use as a Centre for Cultural Education since 31 August 2019 under the name “Haus Bastian of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz”. It was originally a gallery. At the start of 2019 the Bastian family made a gift of the site to the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz.
Since spring 2019, all four floors of the building have been redesigned into learning, experiential and communication areas. Its spacious rooms encourage visitors to creatively address, process, expand and discuss their questions, observations and experiences.
The Haus Bastian – Centre for Cultural Education’sVerstärker programme is its energising catalyst. Every six months, interdisciplinary topics and themes pertaining to various collections are introduced for discussion. A setting consisting of reference objects, resource materials, explanatory texts and formulated questions provides the stimulus. Participants approach the subject from differing perspectives, discovering links to the collections on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) Berlin and to their own interests and experiences, while also contributing their points of view.
Use of Haus Bastian – Zentrum für kulturelle Bildung is available exclusively in connection with events. No separate admission is charged; admission to the museums and participation fees for the events do apply. The entire building is wheelchair accessible. A barrier-free WC is located on the ground floor.