Dutch Literatuurmuseum Plans New Experience Offerings

(eap) In 2027, the Literatuurmuseum/Kinderboekenmuseum – one of the 26 Dutch national museums – will relocate from The Hague to Utrecht. Its future home will be the Magazijn De Zon, where the museum plans to offer two entirely new exhibition areas.

© Concept Art: Sarner International The British design and production company Sarner International has now been commissioned to design these two new areas. Aimed specifically at adult visitors aged 18 and over, an interactive experience is planned for the upper floor, showcasing the museum’s renowned collection of literary artefacts. Using interactive media, tactile installations, and storytelling, visitors will be encouraged to explore stories and creative forms of expression and experience the world of Dutch literature in a powerful and emotional way. At the heart of the experience are three “story boxes” that allow stories to be experienced and shaped from different perspectives – focusing on the self, on interpersonal relationships, and on the wider world.

Upon entering the area, guests will create a personal reading profile that records their interactions within the exhibition, allowing the museum to provide individual book recommendations afterwards – essentially a personal keepsake to let the museum visit resonate beyond the actual stay.

Below the exhibition spaces, in the vaulted cellar, another experience is planned: a powerful, multisensory installation that connects visitors to Dutch literature on a deep emotional level. The museum’s extensive literary archive will be presented as a kind of “treasure chamber of imagination”, with each section of the vault highlighting themes that have inspired writers over the centuries. By combining scenography, digital storytelling, soundscapes, lighting, and sensory effects, the installation aims to use the dramatic architecture of the vault to create a visually spectacular and moving experience.

The Literatuurmuseum/Kinderboekenmuseum appeals to visitors of all ages and recently recorded around 150,000 guests per year. ■