From Ernst Leitz Museum to an interactive experience of photography

The Leitz-Park Campus, home to the long-established Leica Camera AG since 2014, has been inspiring Leica aficionados both old and new for years. In addition to the manufacturing facilities, Leica Gallery, Leica Store, Classic Store, Leica Academy and on-site hotel, the Ernst Leitz Museum provides insights into the world of modern photography. We designed the new permanent exhibition and added another attraction to the Leitz-Park: Visitors are now able to experience the intriguing history of the company, which was founded in 1849 and has been run by the Leitz family for generations, as well as the fascination of photography. The new Leica World offers now an entertaining, interactive und dynamic experience in four areas.

From photography to room concept

The principle of the viewfinder frame constitutes the exhibition’s visual theme. Large metal frames in shades of black, brass, and copper elegantly enclose the room elements. Transparent lattice structures create lightness and yield exciting insights. The straight-lined design language and focus on the colours black, white, and red create a clear and stylish spatial impression. Spatially distinct cabinets provide experience spaces and encourage photographic experimentation.

Anamorphosis in the entrance area of the Ernst Leitz Museum: the right picture only emerges when viewed from a certain angle.

The eye learns to listen

‘The eye should learn to listen before it looks’ – this quote by the famous photographer and cameraman Robert Frank is the inspiration for the starting point of our journey into the realm of sight and perception. An impressive kinetic aperture opens and closes in the large panorama window when visitors approach it. The mood in the room changes gently. Rotating frames invite visitors to try out different image formats, filters, and design principles in realtime and develop their photographic sense of perception.

A huge kinetic aperture reacts to the visitors.

‘I hereby decide: we will take the risk‘

With this sentence and the decision to produce the first 35 mm camera in 1924, Ernst Leitz II went down in company history. ‘Leitz’ and ‘camera’ soon became the famous acronym ‘Leica’. In this area, visitors immerse themselves in technology and history while learning about key people and milestones in technical innovation. The Leica Archive discloses its treasures to keen eyes: Through a window, visitors can see a selection of highlighted objects. An interactive digital layer offers in-depth information on the history and background. The click memory shows that Leica is about so much more than seeing. Visitors can match camera models with their sounds. An interactive table in a darkroom also illustrates the individual stages of analogue photo development from a digital perspective.

Snapshots

Light and shadow, lighting moods, portraits or rapid motion – photography is all about the moment. In the area dedicated to photography, it is now up to you to find the right moment. Imaginatively designed stages create constantly evolving scenarios where optical phenomena of the photographic image can be discovered first-hand as a photographer or model. Wind, movement, light and reflections create special motifs and opportunities for experimentation. Using integrated Leica cameras or your own mobile phone, you can take unforgettable photographs.