Borusseum

Client: Borussia Dortmund

Year: 2000

Award: Comunication Design Award and Designpreis Deutschland

Museums and exhibitions

The great sporting successes and the unique fan culture of Borussia Dortmund almost call for an exhibition. facts and fiction takes up the challenge and develops the Borusseum as a prelude to the celebrations of its 100th anniversary: A football museum on a Champions League level.

But it is not only Borussia Dortmund's sporting successes and special fan culture that call for a tribute to this traditional club. In particular, the celebration of the 99th anniversary of its existence is decisive for the exhibition, which serves as a prelude to the celebrations of the 100th anniversary. The ball is now at facts and fiction. We are developing the Borusseum: A football museum which, thanks to its tactical and technical finesse, has the level of the Champions League.

It is clear that there can only be one place for the permanent exhibition - on the square or in the Borussia stadium. On level 4, the history of the club and the stories surrounding it come to life.

On the one hand, the Borusseum is characterised by the great sporting successes of the BVB, which was the first German club to win an international trophy in 1966. On the other hand, it is the passionate and extremely loyal Dortmund fans. The double top of football history and fan culture is made clear by combining essential elements of a classic museum (selected exhibits such as cups, trophies, memorabilia) with interactive stations that invite visitors to participate in and even help shape the Borusseum.

The legendary south curve, the yellow wall, is reconstructed and forms the backbone of the museum, both in terms of content and space, with its fan stations placed in front of, on and behind it. Against this backdrop, six exhibition islands tell the story of the sporting development of the club from its foundation to the present day. Each of these islands is brought into play with creative and narrative means. Designed as a walk-in showcase, visitors to "Borsigplatz" can get a taste of the pub atmosphere of the BVB founding era. The "White Meadow" shows the beginnings of the club and its first protagonists. The time of the most significant sporting successes is presented in the "Red Earth" with exciting anecdotes and exhibits. In the "Westfalenstadion" the hot-blooded fans from then until today stand in the middle circle. The "treasure chamber" with its mystical staging is dedicated to the trophies won, the "BVBrain", the home of the new, interactive BVB memorial, called the Borussen Wiki.

Admittedly, this short summary does not do the Borusseum completely justice, as it offers more surprises and cabinet pieces than several Bundesliga seasons put together. And these can only be experienced on the pitch, i.e. in the Borusseum.