Following the lead of forward-thinking cities such as Tokyo and Shanghai, the German city of Hamburg has unveiled its plans for a new “digital museum”, which could open as soon as 2026. 

Digital Art Museum to be ready by 2026

The museum is the vision of the German entrepreneur Lars Hinrichs, who founded XING, a Germany-focused social network dedicated to building professional networks and helping people to advance their career. Hinrichs, along with the ECE, Harmonia Immobilien, and the Hamburg Student Union have backed the project, and are so convinced the museum will be a success that tickets are already on sale. 

Construction on the first phase of the museum is scheduled to begin in autumn 2022, with various other construction components set to take place in 2024, and finishing in early 2026. The rumoured cost of the project amounts to around 480 million euros.

The museum isn’t really a museum

Despite its name, the designers of the museum have stressed that it is not actually a museum in the traditional sense, and should instead be viewed as a digital meeting place. 

The space is set to become home to Europe’s largest collection of digital art. While traditional museums and galleries have been slow to accept the change towards digital artworks, new institutions such as this one could pave the way for a new understanding of art. 

The new museum will be the largest of its kind on the continent, with a total area of ​​around 7.500 square meters and ceilings up to 10 metres high. It is hoped that the museum will serve as a new tourist attraction and bring more visitors to the eastern Hafencity.