Myth of Bavaria
Bavaria is a myth. A fairy-tale king and his castles. Mountains, beer, and people who know how to live life in their own unique way. Added to this is a “Free State” that crowns the myth with a people’s crown. How can all of this be appropriately presented in a museum?
A narrative approach with relatable stories, memorable staging, and varied participatory tools provides an immersive access to Bavarian history. jangled nerves, in collaboration with the architecture firm hg merz, was responsible for the exhibition design, as well as for the concept of cultural cabinets, media productions, and interactive stations. The museum documents Bavaria’s history of democracy, often in playful ways. The building is fully accessible and meets high inclusive standards. These include wheelchair-accessible tables, media guides in simple language and sign language, induction hearing systems, and Braille texts.
In the light-filled foyer, visitors are welcomed by an oversized Oktoberfest lion. In the adjacent showroom, a 360° panoramic film is shown documenting the history of Regensburg. In the film, cabaret artist Christoph Süß takes visitors on a journey from Roman times to the Napoleonic era – humorous, educational, and typically Bavarian.The media stage in the foyer traces Bavaria’s path to a modern state across 2,500 m². Exhibits arranged on around 30 stages document defining historical events.
In addition to the chronological exhibition path, visitors encounter eight extraordinary cultural cabinets designed interactively by jangled nerves. These explore specific cultural phenomena, deliberately play with clichés, and also address the question of what is typically Bavarian.“Home in Miniature” is dedicated to municipalities with their tens of thousands of villages, creating a monument to Bavaria’s diversity. Using augmented reality technology, multiple visitors can explore the history of their hometown at a media table. The architecture culture room showcases detailed 3D models of Bavarian architecture. A high-tech production process projects the ceilings of buildings onto an architectural canopy. The cabinet “Ois Chicago” recreates Bavaria’s appearance at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The collective world exhibition craze carried the myth of Bavaria out into the world. Today, it lives on in the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte.
