MUSEE GUTENBERG – FRIBOURG
Gutenberg Printing Museum of Switzerland
It is no doubt that Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the moveable type printing press changed the world. The ability to mass produce books, especially the Gutenberg Bible fascilitated the spread of the Reformation. Gutenberg himself did get around a bit, and there are sites and museums dedicated to his printing innovations and with samples of his famous Bible in several locations around Europe. He starting his printing shop in Strasbourg (see Gutenberg in Strasbourg) then moved to Mainz (see Gutenberg Museum Mainz). While Gutenberg himself never worked in Switzerland, the tourist with an interest in the history of the printed work traveling through the country has a few sites to visit. The Paper Museum in Basel (see Swiss Paper Museum), the Martin Bodmer Library in Geneva (see Bodmer Collection), and in Fribourg, the Musee Gutenberg.
The Gutenberg Museum of Fribourg, formally, the Swiss Museum of Graphic Arts and Communication, is dedicated to the history and techniques of composition, printing, graphic design and binding through the ages, from the hand copied illustrated manuscript of the monks, to Gutenberg’s press, up to modern press and printing. The museum is located in a former granary building, dating from 1527, just behind the Notre Dame church and the Tinguely Museum. Covering three floors and the basement, life-size wax figures in tableau at numbered stations represent the history of printing in Europe and the development of presses through successive periods. The museum has some samples of Gutenberg printing as well as other historic texts.
Multimedia stations show the evolution of the word, first in signs, language, and in writing, providing an overview of the historical and cultural context of the exhibits on display, with workshop demonstrations of the traditional techniques of composition, printing and book binding. The museum offers changing Des expositions temporaires offrent un approfondissement ou une présentation de thèmes spécifiques en relation avec l'impression.temporary exhibitions on a range of topics related to printing. A recent temporary exhibition on the printing of Swiss Bank Notes in collaboration with the Swiss National Bank has been extended to a permanent presentation.
Visiting the Gutenberg Museum of Fribourg
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, with opening hours 11 am to 6 pm Wed, Fri and Sat., 11 am to 8 pm on Thur., and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is free. An audio guide in English is available. Le magasin du musée propose des cadeaux et souvenirs originaux.The museum store offers souvenirs and gift items related to the wide field of printing, as well books and tools of the trade. © Bargain
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Musee Gutenberg
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SEE ALSO:
SWISS PUPPETRY MUSUEM - FRIBOURG
WATCHMAKING MUSEUM – LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS
MUSEUM OF MUSIC AUTOMATONS - SEEWEN
