New museum director Dr.. Ute Koch visits construction site
Rheine. “Why shouldn’t we use the Münstermauer 27 building as an outpost forexhibitions of the Falkenhof Museum? We would be very grateful if we could benefitfrom your work”. This was the conclusion drawn by Dr. Ute Koch, new director of themunicipal museums Rheine, after an informative visit to the historicgem on the cathedral wall. Association chairman Dr. Peter Rohlmann and hisdeputy Bernhard Busch and historians Angelika Pries and StefanieRemberg gave Koch and her colleagues a tour of the building site and also explainedcurrent historical research findings. Therestoration work is currently in its final phase. The scaffolding in front of the building will be removed in thecoming week. And the opening with NRW Building Minister InaScharrenbach is scheduled for 6 September.Rohlmann began by explaining the significance of the inconspicuous building:”This wall house is one of only ten buildings of its kind still standing inGermany. It is also the only one with a cattle ramp in the middle of the house,”reports the chairman. The building, which was home to wool andcloth makers for many centuries, then became a butcher’s house.The building will be opened as a small museum after September 6. At 12stations, there will be adigital self-exploration concept with the help of QR codes that lead to short explanatory videos. As the house cannot be set up as a barrier-free museum, the videos will also be available on the association’s website. The educational concept, which will make the historyof the building accessible in an age-appropriate way for both primary school children and young peoplein lower and upper secondary schools, was also met with interest.”We could imagine that, alongside the established monuments such as theFalkenhof, where the nobility lived, and the churches and Bentlage Monastery, ahouse for the “little people” tells the story of the town,” explained Rohlmann to thegroup of visitors. This triad could certainly be used to create something that could increase theattraction of the town. Event topics could include thegoat industry in the 19th century or the life of the Brüning family over thecenturies.Collaboration with the town’s culture department should definitely be possible, said Dr.Koch in the concluding discussion in the coffee house. The topic of wool weavers inRheine is also highly interesting. “We also have an interest in ensuring that this placeworks,” concluded the museum director