Looking Ahead – Where Does the Jewish Museum Berlin Stand on its 10th Anniversary?

Positive Review: Undiminished Popularity with Visitors

Even before it opened in September 2001, around 350,000 visited the Jewish Museum Berlin building. The continued visitor interest is particularly encouraging: In 2010, the record figure of 760,000 people visited the museum and in this anniversary year, the figure is already at 500,000. For an historical museum, the JMB has a remarkably young public with every third visitor under 30. The visitor service is particularly well received – more than 90 % of visitors praise friendliness, courtesy, and discretion of the museum’s so-called "hosts."

Innovative Education Work in the Museum and the Schoolyard

More than one million children and youths have visited the Jewish Museum Berlin since it opened in 2001. Over 100,000 visitors with a rising trend attend educational events per year. In addition to the roughly 7,000 guided tours each year, the museum holds around 400 educational events including vacation programs, archive workshops, project days and further training courses for teachers. The educational initiative "on.tour – The JMB Tours Schools" has been in place since 2007 for those who cannot travel to Berlin. Museum guides visit secondary schools nationwide with a mobile exhibition and a workshop on German-Jewish history. Approximately 35,000 young people have taken part in this "outreach" program so far.

A New Libeskind Building and a New Area of Focus

The future academy in the former central flower market hall will enable the Jewish Museum Berlin to proceed with the expansion of its work that is already underway. In the academy designed by Daniel Libeskind, the library, archive and museum education will be united under one roof. In addition to the research and communication of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry, the museum is planning a new area of focus – migration, integration, and cultural diversity in a multiethnic society.

Preserved Memories and Integrated Research

Acceptance of the Jewish Museum Berlin is reflected not only in its visitor numbers but also in the growth of its collections. The holdings have trebled in the last 10 years. The spectrum covers the areas of Judaica, art, photography, everyday culture, the archive, and the library. Over 1,600 large collections of mixed possessions belonging to families form the core of the collections – donors from 20 different countries spanning all five continents have given items to the JMB. The collections are supplemented by the holdings of the Leo Baeck Institute and the Londoner Wiener Library dependencies located at the JMB since 2001 and 2008 respectively.

A Lively Permanent Exhibition and 64 Original Special Exhibitions

On an area of over 3,000 m², the permanent exhibition in the Libeskind Building paints a lively portrait of Jewish culture in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present. In addition, the Jewish Museum has attracted much attention since 2003 with its special exhibitions on the most varied historical and historico-cultural themes often featuring art interventions. A total of 64 exhibitions have been shown since the museum opened, of them 45 were initiated and developed by the JMB. The three most successful exhibitions to date have been "10 + 5 = GOD. The Power of Signs" (2004) with 88,000 visitors, "Home and Exile. Jewish Emigration from Germany since 1933" (2006/2007) with 60,000 visitors, and "Counterpoint. The Architecture of Daniel Libeskind" (2003) with 58,000 visitors.