Rendezvous with the culture.

On 16 May the "Night of the Museums': the French initiative has in the past five years at the cultural event to change Europe's borders - between dusk and dawn to open more than 2000 collections, castles and galleries will open their doors.

 

A Witches' process in the Swiss Jura Museum of Delemont? A circus fun exhibits between the Pompidou Center in Paris? Sleeping overnight in a gallery of UK Newcastle upon Tyne? Or an exciting treasure hunt in the streets of the city of Mulhouse, Alsace?

In the "Night of the Museums' exhibition happen in unusual places in Europe or original things: On 16 May venerable halls, medieval walls and modern architecture of scenes and shows met the context of museum traditions blow - at least for the time between dusk and dawn: As a numerical fresco covers, an interactive design, the façade of the "Musée des Beaux - Arts in Valenciennes, the Paris Center National d'Etudes Space "gives visitors a perspective on space museums.

Between Altkirch (Alsace) and Yzeron (Rhône-Alpes) around 1050 museums offer concerts, workshops for children, theatrical performances, explanations of astrology and astronomy, or imaginative light shows. The events will be the cultural heritage of the French nation in the proper light set. "The Night of the museums, collections and monuments of a night for all open," said Culture and Communication Minister Christine Albanel, "creates each year, an extraordinary rendezvous with the culture."

Three dozen institutions in Germany

But not just in France. Although there was five years ago the idea of a Europe-wide marketing nightly Museum was born and now certainly has the annual cultural event in which this total of over 2100 institutions involved, partners to the borders of Europe found. The list of participating museums comprises 42 countries, from Andorra to the Ukraine, Armenia and San Marino. Also in Germany to open more than three dozen collections, castles and galleries will open their doors the night of curiosity - so the games museum in Chemnitz, the Simplicissimus Renchen in-house or the museum Alamannen Ellwangen.

The goal of cross-border activity combines national and regional organizations: the museums, which are gradually the pressure of economic crisis experience, want to work with the amazing offers its image as a haven of historical and cultural offerings Dedusting with bonds in music, theater and dance, a new, younger audiences . At the same time, unusual presentations to emphasize that the museums as a tourist attraction goals for sure.

UNESCO opens its doors

The (Free) recipe, created along the lines of similar events in Berlin, Amsterdam, Zurich or Basel, works - with increasing success: Only in France was 2008 more than 1.5 million curious to nocturnal hour, the way to the museums. "Even the events are not quite perfectly," says Udo Gößwald, President of the International Museumsrats (Icom), "but we support this extraordinary initiative and Europe alongside the event the evening of 16 May, two days later, the 'International Day the museums' oriented. "

And because this year the ambitious self-presentation of the first museums under the auspices of the Council of Europe such as UNESCO, are also the ordinary houses for nocturnal hour, the visitors opened - at the Paris headquarters of the UN cultural organization, 7 Place Fontenoy, 200 volunteers will be around until the morning 1 clock by the House lead. The Council of Europe, in May of its 60th Celebrates anniversary, is in Strasbourg, while the "Palais d'Europe" open - a rare opportunity to look at architecture and art treasures of this institution.