When the fairy tale kingdom of the Brothers Grimm was opened in Hanau’s Philippsruhe Castle in April 2019, a success story seemed to begin. For a long time, an interactive offer to pay tribute to the Brothers Grimm, who were born in Hanau, had been fought for. Over-ambitious plans for an adventure museum in Hanau’s Old Town had to be buried before the north wing of Philippsruhe Castle, which was used as a museum depot, was renovated and transformed into a modern hands-on museum for children and their families with interactive play and information stations. At the same time, the Brothers Grimm department of the Historical Museum in Philippsruhe Castle was renewed. The concept was well received by the people, but then the corona epidemic made a dash through the bill of the museum makers.
The new permanent exhibition “Modern Times/Hanau 1848-1949” is now similar. The ground floor of the museum castle, dedicated to the history of the city, has been extensively turned over. But now winter is coming and with it the corona pandemic with a force that no one could have imagined.
Unworthy for a city like Hanau
It is good and right that the opening is not celebrated in a big way. But the people of Hanau can at least be happy that the department dedicated to the eventful history of Hanau is no longer living a shadowy existence. For many years, the information and exhibits about the decisive years for Hanau in the 19th and 20th centuries were presented in a loveless and boring way. This was unworthy of a city of Hanau’s size and importance. New museum concepts were developed and disappeared into drawers after controversies, which were carried out mainly behind the scenes. It was high time that, thanks to public funding, a breath of fresh air and modern approaches finally entered the ground floor of the museum.
