Optimal climate for historical museum treasures

Golden Angel Cultural Center

The history of the small Rhineland-Palatinate town of Baumholder is closely linked to the development of Germany and Europe after the end of the Second World War. After the establishment of the US garrison on the former military training area of the German Wehrmacht, the “American way of life” began its triumphant advance in the western world from here in the 1950s and 1960s. The consequences of events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attack on the World Trade Center (9/11) and the resulting change in the global political situation are also reflected on a small scale in the region. More than enough material for a unique regional museum, which opened in fall 2018 after a long period of planning. Just as unusual as the museum’s orientation is its location: the “Golden Angel”. The former inn became world-famous in 1962 thanks to the Swiss “Magnum” photographer René Burri, who made it the cover of his book “The Germans”. In 1959, he visited not only the major German cities but also Baumholder, which at the time was a viewing window and crossroads of post-war Germany. The building was converted into a cultural center with great effort and attention to detail and, in addition to the museum, houses the city library, a café and the city’s tourist information office.

Photo @ Hille Tesch Architects / Photographer heikerost.com

A place steeped in history
Like the city, the “Golden Angel” also breathes the history of the region. Built as an inn at the beginning of the 20th century, its owner at the time turned it into an imposing building that dominated the cityscape even before the First World War. Since then, it has served as accommodation for soldiers stationed in Baumholder and was first used by the US army in 1945 and – after the French zone was established – by the French armed forces as their headquarters. After the establishment of the US garrison in 195, the Papa-Club variety theater opened there with a show program for the US soldiers – one of the numerous nightclubs that earned the region the designation “moral emergency area”. Before its final closure, the “Goldener Engel” functioned as a bar and disco and also provided an opportunity for more intimate encounters between US-Americans and the “waitresses”.

From inn to cultural center
In 2000, the town of Baumholder bought the listed building. After several years of vacancy, a Europe-wide architectural competition was announced in 2009, which envisaged new usage concepts for the property as a cultural center. The “Golden Angel” was to become a place for the new history of the town of Baumholder with a museum, library and café. The preservation order stipulated that the two street-facing façades be retained and the original cubature retained. The former extension was replaced by a contemporary building extension that is in keeping with the old volume. The Mainz-based architectural firm Hille Tesch won the competition and was also awarded the contract to implement its design. The office realized a contemporary architecture within the “historical framework”, which in particular meets the requirements of a modern museum design.

The monolithic form of the extension is deliberately set back from the façades of the old building. In contrast to the small-scale façade of the old building, the new building has a small number of large window openings that provide exciting views in and out. The four floors are accessed via a centrally positioned open staircase, which lends the building a spacious feel. The exposed concrete walls emphasize the modern appearance. The restrained color scheme in white and shades of grey allows the exhibits to take precedence.

Innovative air conditioning technology protects stocks
The building services and, above all, the air conditioning play a decisive role in a multi-use cultural center. The museum exhibits and the holdings of the city library in particular place high demands on the air-conditioning technology. The decision was therefore made to install an innovative “climate floor” that meets these requirements in every respect. The ClimaLevel Multiboden HKL combines heating, cooling and ventilation in one system. The combination of conventional underfloor heating and airflow makes this floor construction not only responsive and energy-efficient, but above all guarantees a constantly stable indoor climate.

Photo @ City of Baumholder / Photographer heikerost.com

Photo @ Hille Tesch Architects / Photographer heikerost.com

Photo @ City of Baumholder / Photographer heikerost.com

Museum – library – meeting place
The first floor houses the tourist information office, the museum store, a room for special exhibitions and meetings and the washrooms. The city library and a seminar room are located on the second floor. The other two floors are occupied by the Museum of Regional History. However, the exhibition begins in the entrance hall and continues through the entire building via an experience path across the exhibition levels. Conically tapering air spaces and galleries emphasize the transparent design of the building and create a wide variety of exhibition spaces. All showcases were custom-made and incorporate architectural details – a successful symbiosis of building and content.

Farmers – Soldiers – Americans
The museum exhibition focuses on the 50s and 60s of the last century. The stationing of over 20,000 US soldiers in the newly established garrison had a decisive influence on the development of the region. The area around Baumholder was characterized by agriculture and there were many small farmers who could barely make a living from their farms. “On the one hand, the stationing of the US soldiers was a shock for the population, but it also offered a great opportunity. There were jobs and new opportunities to earn money,” explains museum director Ingrid Schwerdtner. “Many people today are not aware of the scale of this change: the US base developed into a small ‘American’ town with housing for 40,000 people and a complete infrastructure: from schools to stores for everyday needs and its own clinic. In its heyday, there were five times as many Americans as Germans living in Baumholder; today there are only about twice as many.”

On display are mainly everyday objects that the Americans brought with them to Germany. From the legendary Chewing Gum to Coca-Cola and petticoats. Many photos document the attitude to life at that time, which is authentically conveyed by the sound samples of popular American music of the time. “During this time, there was a closer exchange between the local population and the Americans. My parents had American friends and people met in the city’s clubs and restaurants. The Americans were simply part of the cityscape,” recalls the museum director. That changed after 9/11: Since then, the US base has been sealed off and the German-American friendship is mainly cultivated in an official setting. But with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the changed world situation and the resulting new direction of US defense policy brought about drastic changes. The combat troops – until then Baumholder had been the largest location for US combat troops outside the USA – were withdrawn. This led to a significant reduction in the size of the garrison. Today there are only supply units on the site.

“However, we are not a museum about the Americans, but about Baumholder and the influence and significance the American station had on the town and the region,” explains Ingrid Schwerdtner. This also applies to the parts of the exhibition that present the history of the region from settlement to after the First World War, as well as the establishment of the military training area by the Wehrmacht in 1938 and its function before and during the Second World War. “We are not a museum of local history. It’s always about how history has had a concrete impact on Baumholder and the surrounding area.”