Renaming the museum: Gießen citizens demand participation!

Renaming the museum: Gießen citizens demand participation!

A storm of indignation pulls through watering! The Upper Hessian Museum is facing a drastic renaming in "Museum für Gießen". But unsightly waves of criticism break over the magistrate!

Gießen - A few days before the crucial meeting of the city parliament via the change of name, it is boiling in public! The citizens' initiative »Historical Mitte Gießen« demands a participation of the citizens. "The inclusion of the Gießeners would only be logical," emphasizes BI spokesman Jan-Patrick Wismar. After all, the conversion of the museum must serve the interests of the citizens!

citizen in turmoil about renaming

"A democratic possibility of arbitration" is urgently necessary, Wismar continues. Many Gießeners perceive the planned renaming as overwhelming and poorly thought. The museum, which is now going through a redesign at the church square, certainly had its merits with the previous name.

It is particularly criticized that the city government simply left out the citizen participation, which worked for other projects such as the philosophery height. At a press conference last week, Mayor Frank-Tilo Becher defended this decision with the words: "This would only have led to many disappointments." The renaming was unanimously decided on the proposal of the museum advisory board.

The majority of the Gießeners reject the new name

The voices of the Gießeners are loud and clear! According to the chairman of the citizens' initiative, Wismar, over 75 percent in social media spoke in favor of maintaining the previous name. Even at the museum festival on Saturday, the critical voices flew through the air - the city museum should not become the "Museum for Gießen"!

On Thursday, the decision is on the agenda in the Cultural Committee of the City Parliament, and the first construction work on the church square will soon take its course. A comprehensive redesign of the permanent exhibition is planned, but what future does the Gießener Erbe have as a "museum for casting"? This question is haunted by the citizens through the head.

Burkhard Möller