The art museum Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus
The museum of plastic arts in Cottbus which the country Brandenburg assumes responsibility for has moved in its domicile in former diesel engine power station in mai 2008. Because of its symbiosis of old and new architecture, it has developed a public attraction for friends of arts, for lovers of architecture and technique.
The institution harks back to the foundation in 1977. In 1991 the museum has been enhanced to the rank of a national museum and continued its work with modified signs as Brandenburgische Kunstsammlungen Cottbus. Since July 2004 it is – besides the Staatstheater Cottbus – a part of the Brandenburgische Kulturstiftung Cottbus.
The changing of residence from the former textile store to the new site on the green isle of mill in the town centre was a quantum leap in the life of the art museum. The industrial building – a clinker brick building created by Werner Issel which went into operation in 1928 – was refurbished within a planning and construction period of almost four years and was rebuilt to a museum of contemporary art. For the versatile exhibition programme an area of about 1200 square metres is available now. In the range of engine house und control house the visitor experiences mostly two up to three presentations parallel.
As a culture centre in the middle of the town the museum is a studio for creative people, a concert and dance place, jazz bar or theatre stage, industrial monument in the Lusatian region, a meeting place for companies, clubs and societies and idyll between council pond and the river Spree.
Moreover with this industrial monument of the 20th century a further lighthouse of architectonic history is situated in Cottbus in addition to the representative Jugendstil theatre and the innovative new builiding IKMZ (Information, communication und media centre of the Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus) created by Herzog & De Meuron.
Profile and objects
The art museum Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus houses more than 23 000 objects of modern and contemporary art of all forms and can bear comparison with the best museums of Germany especially in the fields poster art and photography. Since the mid-nineties exhibitions and acquirements are focused on the subject area countryside/space/nature/environment.
03046 Cottbus