Press release

facts and fiction is designing the Gutenberg-Museum’s new permanent exhibition

20/11/2025

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The new Gutenberg-Museum is taking shape right in the heart of Mainz. On around 2,000 square metres over three floors, Cologne-based creative agency facts and fiction will be presenting the museum’s extensive exhibition with an immersive and emotional new design. The new permanent exhibition was presented to the general public for the first time at the press conference on 12 November, together with the museum and City representatives.

facts and fiction is planning and shaping the Gutenberg-Museum’s new permanent exhibition in its future building, which has been designed by h4a Gessert + Randecker Architekten. As befits a world museum of printing art, it brings to life – on a space of around 2,000 square metres – the global importance of Gutenberg’s invention and the impact that it continues to have up to the present day, drawing on multimedia, interactive and performance elements.

“Some people might initially find the idea of a printing press somewhat less than exciting, but hardly any other invention has had such a great influence on the course of history.”

says Andreas Horbelt, Creative Director at facts and fiction.

“Together with the curators, we are developing a museum that allows everyone to experience the importance of Gutenberg’s invention right up close – with fascinating exhibits, contemporary educational elements, smart media and surprising perspectives.”

Visits to the new Gutenberg-Museum open with an immersive experience in which visitors embark on a journey from medieval Mainz to the present day. Using state-of-the-art media, they are given an emotional and inspiring introduction to the history of Gutenberg’s ground-breaking invention, together with keen insights into the impact that it still has today.

In the new multisensory exhibition, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the world of book and printing art. With its stunning presentation of valuable exhibits and use of interactive media, the new Gutenberg-Museum is a veritable world of experience.

Visits to the new Gutenberg-Museum open with an immersive experience in which visitors embark on a journey from medieval Mainz to the present day (Copyright: facts and fiction).

The undisputed highlight of the exhibition is the newly designed treasure chamber containing the famous Gutenberg Bibles. The entire exhibition also combines original exhibits with digital communication formats. The aim is to create an open, inviting museum that serves as a place for dialogue, learning and first-hand experience – for a diverse audience of international guests ranging from experts to schoolchildren.

The agency has also been commissioned by the state capital Mainz with the task of redesigning – with input from the Gutenberg-Museum Mainz – the foyer, museum shop, print shop and museum learning area, thereby creating an integral museum experience.

With its stunning presentation of valuable exhibits and use of interactive media, the new Gutenberg-Museum is a veritable world of experience (Copyright: facts and fiction).

Citizen participation

Regular information events held by the state capital of Mainz for citizens are intended to provide the interested public and all relevant interest groups with transparent and citizen-oriented information about the Gutenberg-Museum's transformation process into a “museum of the future.” On November 18, 2025, another information event was held to provide updates on the latest progress and present an outlook on the upcoming milestones in the project.

About the Gutenberg-Museum

The Gutenberg-Museum is a municipal museum of great national and international importance, with a reputation that extends far beyond the confines of Mainz itself. With an estimated 160,000 visitors every year, it is one of the most popular museums in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Many years after it was originally built, the Gutenberg-Museum and its programme are being renewed to meet the needs of a contemporary, state-of-the-art museum. A new building is currently being planned on the existing and historical site. This means that the museum will retain its central location in downtown Mainz and will also remain an important meeting place for local people.

About facts and fiction

facts and fiction is an interdisciplinary creative agency with more than 70 full-time employees in Cologne and Berlin. The agency was founded in Cologne in 1992. facts and fiction conceptualises, designs and implements innovative analogue and digital projects in the fields of art, culture, business and science. The focus is on museums and exhibitions, Expo pavilions, events, exhibits and digital solutions for participative and individualised experiences.

facts and fiction has developed the pavilions for Germany, Austria and the EU at the World Expo in Japan that took place from April to October 2025. The agency has 25 years of Expo experience and will now have implemented a total of 13 country participations including Japan. Large-scale, previously realised projects in the public museums and exhibitions sector include the Mining Museum in Bochum and the Berlin Exhibition at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin. The agency is currently working on the design of the Zeppelin Tribune and Zeppelin Field learning and meeting centre in Nuremberg, the permanent exhibition of the Buddenbrook House in Lübeck, Germany and a permanent exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland. In Berlin, facts and fiction is active in the tension-charged field of political communications: The agency develops a wide variety of analogue, hybrid and digital event formats and exhibitions for ministries, institutions and associations in the context of political discourse. In 2024, the budget was again awarded to facts and fiction by the German Ministry of the Environment (BMUKN).

facts and fiction has implemented over 700 projects in 50 countries and has already won numerous awards for its work, including the BIE Award, the iF Communication Award, the ADC competition, the Galaxy Award and the Red Dot Award.