Museums
Renovation of the Schumann House completed
The cast iron portraits of Clara and Robert Schumann are attached to the facade of the Schumann House. photo
© Thomas Banneyer/dpa
In the mid-19th century, the composer Robert and his wife Clara Schumann lived in the house for three years, which now shines in new splendor. After years of renovation, the opening is now underway.
For four years, the city of Düsseldorf has occupied the former home of the famous musician couple Clara and Robert Schumann renovated – now the Schumann House is about to open. On Friday, the city and the Heinrich Heine Institute presented the new premises before the house opens its doors to the public as a museum on December 1st.
For three years, from 1852 to 1855, the composer Robert and his wife, the pianist Clara Schumann, lived in the house with their seven children. “No other place would be more suitable to commemorate the life and work of Clara and Robert Schumann,” said Miriam Koch, councilor for culture and integration for the city of Düsseldorf.
The composer is said to have created around a third of his work during his time in Düsseldorf, including the famous “Rhenish Symphony”, a copy of which can be seen and heard. “Not a note is without sound,” said Sabine Brenner-Wilczek, director of the Heinrich Heine Institute – so all of the couple’s musical pieces shown should also be audible.
Monument-compliant and barrier-free
A total of around 100 exhibits from the state capital’s Schumann collection will be on display in the museum. These should be regularly exchanged for other pieces from the collection. There are also replicas of the Schumanns’ furniture, which are also intended to be touched.
According to the city, the renovation work and furnishing of the museum cost around 7.7 million euros. The work was complex. The house had to be renovated to be both historic and barrier-free. The money for this comes from funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as well as from private donors and foundations.
There had been a years-long dispute between the city and the cellist Thomas Beckmann, who had lived there for decades, over the Schumann House in Düsseldorf’s old town.