For the love of Bavaria

A narrative approach that incorporates popular stories, memorable presentations and interactive tools enables visitors to immerse themselves in the rich history of Bavaria. In cooperation with architectural firm hg merz, jangled nerves was responsible for the exhibition design and for the concept of cultural cabinets, media productions and interactive stations. The museum documents the history of democracy in Bavaria, frequently in a playful manner. The building sets high quality standards for inclusivity: barrier-free access, wheelchair-accessible tables, media guides in simple language and sign language, inductive hearing systems, and texts in braille.

In the light-flooded foyer, visitors are greeted by a larger-than-life Oktoberfest lion. The adjacent showroom shows a 360-degree panorama film documenting the history of Regensburg. In the film, cabaret artist Christoph Süß takes visitors on a journey from the Romans to the Napoleonic era – humorous, erudite and typically Bavarian. The media presentation in the foyer traces Bavaria’s path to becoming a modern state across 2,500 square metres. Exhibit ensembles on 30 daises bear testimony to formative events.

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Aside from the chronologically ordered tour, visitors will find eight extraordinary cultural cabinets that have been interactively designed by jangled nerves. They deal with particular cultural phenomena and deliberately play on clichés, but they also address the question of what is typically Bavarian. »Heimat in small format« is dedicated to local municipalities with their many thousands of villages and towns and is a monument of diversity. With the help of augmented reality, multiple visitors can investigate the history of their homeland at a media table. The cultural room for architecture displays detailed 3D models of Bavarian architecture. A high-tech production process enables the ceilings of the buildings to be projected onto an architectural ceiling sail. The cabinet »Ois Chicago« recreates the showcase for the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. The legend of Bavaria got transported out into the world. Today, it lives on in the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte in Regensburg.