In order to do justice to the existing building, a structure was designed which involved placing a new room inside the existing one, using a box-in-box construction. This creates a surface for the collection to be displayed and strategic gaps through which the building’s original features may be glimpsed.
City as
a stage
Kampen (NL)
Kampen owes its reputation to its history as a hanseatic town and its religious life. But Kampen is a very diverse place and the museum aims to reflect this. An attempt has been made to create a link between past and present and between the town and the museum. In order to achieve this, we have developed a multimedia tour that takes you on a journey through the town’s history, not only indoors but also venturing into the town itself. This makes it the very first museum in the Netherlands to present its cultural heritage in a single program both inside and outside the museum.
The new multimedia tour offers visitors interesting insights from the town’s history, not only indoors but also outdoors. Indoors, the tour provides a significant addition to the museum’s permanent display. Around twenty modern-day Kampen residents talk about subjects relating to the museum’s collection. Outdoors, the tour takes you past twenty historic sites using an integrated navigation system. As a key part of the museum’s presentation, the tour is included in the admission price.

The museum’s new identity is an extension of this concept. Kampen residents play a central role and literally become the faces of the museum. Portraits of historical and contemporary Kampen figures and celebrities are juxtaposed in the printed materials and in the building itself (wallpaper and window prints). A portrait of sweat-covered footballer Jaap Stam is next to a distinguished 18th century mayor and actor Henk van Ulsen is adjacent to a portrait of an orphan girl. Their enormous window portraits greet you as you enter the museum. In the evenings the portraits are lit by changing colours, creating an eye-catching theatrical display.