Architecture

More space, more service in the Landesmuseum. The second extension phase of the  Landesmuseum Niederösterreich is complete.
The building project was planned by the young architectural team RATAPLAN from Vienna, realising the necessary building measures with careful reference to Hans Hollein’s architecture; the project is financed by subsidies from the Province of Lower Austria.

The generous opening of the entrance area to the museum square, the networking of space, the redevelopment of the service area and the supply of rooms with an additional exhibition space on the upper floor are special architectural assets. Now with a new lift the visitors can get – barrier-free – from the underground garage to the centre of the Kulturbezirk and in particular the museum.
A restaurant with its own garden has been built in order to make the facilities of the Kulturbezirk even more attractive.
The new spatial design between the museum, the archive, the library and the festival hall will not only be aesthetically attractive, but it will also offer relaxation facilities for the visitors and passing pedestrians.
An additional exhibition space of around 300 m² will be built for the Regional Studies area, housing special exhibitions on subjects such as the cultural history of the Province of Lower Austria.

The exceedingly ambitious museum project sets standards in the Austrian museum landscape.
As the first Landesmuseum of the new era, it unifies the focal points of the nature, art and regional studies collection in an innovative way. With his first museum building in Austria, star architect Hans Hollein has successfully networked various fields of knowledge in an exciting and informative way.

Dates and facts:
Laying of the foundation stone: 15 September 2000
Opening: 14 to 17 November 2002

Developed area: 3,100m², gross floor area: 9,350 m²
Interior floor space: 5,250 m², exhibition space: 4,900 m² (regional studies 150 m², natural history 1,150 m², museum laboratory 300 m², art collections 3,300 m²)
Museum garden: ca. 2,500 m²

Architect: Prof. Mag. arch. Hans Hollein
Exhibition design: Markus Eiblmayr