Founded by Grażyna Kulczyk and opened in January 2019, Muzeum Susch is located on the site of a former medieval monastery dating back to 1157. The existing buildings were restored and underground passageways added as connections to plans by architects Chasper Schmidlin and Lukas Voellmy.
The medieval monastery was repurposed several times over the centuries, and in the 19th-century converted into a brewery. The new museum complex reuses these buildings.
As they are protected by Cantonal Historical Preservation Law, additional exhibition space had to be created by excavating into the mountainside.
The exhibition spaces evolve around the extended former central cooling tower with a height of 17 metres. "Stairs" was created by Polish artist Monika Sosnowska in 2017 and is installed in its center.
Polish sculptor Mirosław Bałka was commissioned to create a sculpture for the permanent exhibition of the museum. The result is Narcissussusch, comprised of several sheets of polished stainless steel turning around their center and reflecting the rock formations. The sculpture, completed in 2018, is installed inside a natural grotto.
Muzeum Susch also includes a public library and archive as well as an auditorium.
Tuor per Susch (Tower for Susch) is an art installation by Swiss artist Not Vital. Crafted from a single block of marble, the 10 meters tall, hollow, tower is located on a meadow above the Museum's main building. It is part of Not Vital's SCARCH group of works, a word created by the combination of sculpture and architecture.
Muzeum Susch was part of Time Magazin's "World's Greatest Places 2019" list and in February 2020 was awarded "Construction of the year 2019" by "Swiss architects".
You may also like