The Clemens Sels Museum is delighted: the house, which was severely damaged by a May storm, can finally reopen to visitors. But there is one downer.
Neuss (dpa / lnw) - The Clemens Sels Museum in Neuss near Düsseldorf was closed for more than five months due to severe storm damage. Next Sunday (November 6th) the house with its highly acclaimed symbolism collection will open its doors again - at least partially. The collection, including symbolist, expressionist and naïve art, will be presented in a new way, said museum director Uta Husmeier-Schirlitz.
There is a new color concept and the focus is on the "saved masterpieces" to raise awareness of what could have been lost in the storm. In addition, the museum has strengthened the digital and interactive communication approaches.
Heavy rain had caused severe water damage to the building in May. The basement of the museum is still closed. The floor had to be pried open up to the foundation. 140 tons of rubble were created, said Husmeier-Schirlitz.
In the basement, however, is usually the city's Roman collection. Novaesium, ancient Neuss, was the oldest Roman military site on the Lower Rhine. Sites of the Lower Germanic Limes, the ancient border of the Roman Empire, which will be declared a World Heritage Site in 2021, are also in Neuss.
But now there was no space to show the Roman collection, says Husmeier-Schirlitz. "If we want to keep this museum with the treasures, we need our basement and our depot again."
With the reopening of the museum, the special exhibition "Coffee is ready! Career of a hot drink" (until February 5, 2023), which was postponed due to the closure, will also start.
