Bell Museum
Lighting for an extraordinary place
Custom luminaires for the Glockenwelt at Burg Greifenstein
The prominently visible Burg Greifenstein is a monument of national significance and houses one of the most important bell collections in Germany. In the interactively designed Glockenwelt, visitors can discover more than 100 bells and ring many of them themselves. The exhibition traces approximately 1,000 years of bell history and makes the different forms, functions and soundscapes of the instruments directly tangible.
For this special historical and museum site, prebit developed and manufactured a range of bespoke luminaires. The lighting needed to integrate sensitively into the castle's exceptional architecture while effectively highlighting the exhibits. The emphasis was not only on precise lighting effects and restrained design, but also on the specific technical requirements of the historic building.
The result is a tailored lighting solution that unites architecture, exhibits and atmosphere. It supports the presentation of the Glockenwelt without drawing attention to itself and helps make history tangible through contemporary means.
Technology under extreme conditions
Moisture-resistant custom solution instead of projection
The climatic conditions in the tower imposed demanding requirements on the technical implementation. Especially during the summer months, exceptionally high humidity can develop in the historic building. A projection using a projector, which was initially considered, was therefore dismissed: the sensitive equipment would not have been suitable for reliable long-term operation under these conditions.
prebit instead developed a lighting and control solution specifically tailored to the site. It generates the desired wave-like movement directly with appropriate lighting technology and requires no sensitive projection unit. All components were selected and engineered to withstand the tower's particular conditions over the long term.
The project demonstrates how bespoke lighting technology can enable extraordinary presentations even where standard solutions reach their limits. By combining custom-made luminaires, intelligent control, and a precisely engineered lighting effect, a robust yet atmospheric solution was created for a unique historic space.
When Bells Set Light in Motion
A lighting installation triggered by sound
A particular challenge was the staging of the dome ceiling in the tower. The brief required a lighting experience directly linked to the sound of a selected bell. When that bell is struck, a control system developed by prebit is automatically activated and a dynamic lighting display on the ceiling is triggered.
The moving light structures spread across the dome and evoke waves on a water surface. Sound and light merge into a cohesive experience: the bell strike is not only heard, but also acquires a visible dimension through the motion on the ceiling. In this way the historic architecture becomes part of the staging and appears to respond to the sound of the bell.
Through the targeted coordination of controls, luminaires and light movement, a permanent bespoke solution was developed that integrates harmoniously into the exhibition concept. Today, the sound-wave imagery is one of the distinctive multimedia experiences within the Glockenwelt.
Glockenwelt Museum at Greifenstein Castle
- Realisierungsjahr
- 2011
- Werft/Architekt
- ConCultura GmbH - Bonn