Theatre puppets in Kolk & Hansemuseum

The Possehl Foundation has a member holding in the not-for-profit limited companies Europäisches Hansemuseum and Kolk 17 Puppet Theatre & Museum.

KOLK 17. Puppet Theatre & Museum of Theatre Puppets

The Puppet Theatre and the Theatre Puppet Museum are based in two merchant’s houses in an old Lübeck street called Kolk. These listed buildings are now being completely refurbished and modified. The two organisations are to be integrated and are scheduled to open again in 2024. In 2022 the building site was made accessible for visitors. A ceremony in June to lay the new foundation stone also marked a key step of the reconstruction phase. Both houses now stand on secure foundations and are visibly growing into their historic surroundings.  

More information can be found at: www.kolk17.de

 European Hansemuseum

Its permanent exhibition on the history of the Hanse, the Castle Friary historic monument, its temporary exhibitions and an extensive programme of other events make the European Hansemuseum (EHM) an integral part of the museum landscape in northern Germany. It welcomes more than 100,000 visitors every year.

The focus of its work in 2023 were the enhancements to the permanent exhibition, including the opening of a new room, “London around 1478”. This scene is an immersive, three-dimensional multimedia experience that takes the visitors back to everyday life in the Steelyard – the Hanse’s trading post on the banks of the river Thames – with its customs, rules and conflicts between the merchants staying there.

Following on from “Hanse Adventure”, the digital guide to the permanent exhibition, the EHM launched its second museum app, entitled “Merchant’s House Adventure”, which offers a Hanse experience to play at home.

Another highlight for the EHM was the inclusion of 17 important Hanse documents from national and international archives in the global register, “Memory of the World”. Its own specialist subject is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

By publishing its own carbon footprint and training an in-house transformation manager, the EHM has laid the foundations for identifying the key action areas and planning smart ways to reduce emissions. This year, for example, the EHM has introduced a reusable RFID ticket that visitors return when they leave, which reduces the consumption of resources. In addition, the project “Education-Climate-plus-56” was completed, which adds climate modules to the EHM’s educational programmes, in order to raise awareness of sustainability and generate enthusiasm for the topic among the participants. And the European Hansemuseum became the first museum in Germany to join the organisation “Museums For Future” and so make a contribution to a sustainable future for our planet

More information can be found at: www.hansemuseum.eu