TIRPITZ

The new TIRPITZ is a sanctuary in the sand that acts as a gentle counterbalance to the dramatic war history of the site in Blåvand on the west coast of Denmark. The 2,850 m2 ‘invisible museum’ transforms and expands a historic German WWII bunker into a groundbreaking cultural complex comprising four exhibitions within a single structure. Contrary to the hefty and intrusive regelbau construction of the original artillery fortress – simply designed as an immense concrete block – the new TIRPITZ appears subtly as the intersection between a series of precise cuts into the landscape. Upon arrival, visitors will first see the bunker and as they approach through the heath-lined pathways, find the walls cut into the dunes from all sides until they descend to meet in a central clearing. The public courtyard allows access into the four underground gallery spaces that have an abundance of daylight even though they are literally carved into the sand. The exhibitions showcase permanent and temporary themed experiences with every gallery having its own rhythm and beating in sync with its story line: high and low, night and day, good and bad, hot and cold, the passing of time. From the sunken galleries, visitors are able to walk into the historic bunker, which grounds the tale of an impressive war machine. In the dark, visitors can play with light and activate shadow plays that reveal how the bunker should have functioned. While set by the heavy hermetic object of the WWII bunker, TIRPITZ is a sharp contrast to the concrete monolith by camouflaging with the landscape and inviting lightness and openness into the new museum.