Summer is in town, but sometimes the heat can get a bit too much. That’s maybe the moment to make a day trip to Insel Hombroich in Germany. This nice museum is a 2 hour drive from Brussels and is ideal to combine with a visit to lovely nearby Düsseldorf. Intel Hombroich is a perfect match between landscape, architecture and art. This place used to be an overgrown park with large old trees next to the Erft river. Karl-Heinrich Müller, the founder of the museum, bought the land and made it in a mix of a natural conservation area of untouched nature and some more landscaped parts.
Sculptor Erwin Heerich designed most of the buildings on the site and some of them are perceived as walk-in-sculptures. In the other buildings you can admire the vast art collections of Müller. The collection consists of art and cultural objects from two millennia, from archeological artifacts and East Asian artworks to works of Alexander Calder and Yves Klein.
Walking through nature, getting lost on the vast grounds and than find yourself in front of one of many outdoor artworks must be one of the nicest ways to experience art. In the middle of the grounds you’ll find a cafetaria where you can eat from the simple buffet, which is included in the entrance fee. Since 1997 Insel Hombroich expanded to the other side of the road and now also took over the former NATO rocket station.
On the grounds of the rocket station you’ll find some interesting buildings and artworks as well. There are houses and art workshops, a seminar building and even an architecture museum that is housed in a building by architect Alvaro Siza. Here work and live several artists, scientist and music composers, which makes it a real creative hub surrounded by nature.
Also on the grounds of the former rocket station is the Langen Foundation. This art foundation is located in the nice building of architect Tadao Ando, who used a lot of glass and concrete to conceive this nice exhibition space. Now there was a very nice exhibition from Olafur Eliasson’s works. This world renowned Danish-Icelandic artist works is known for his diverse installations. Using reflective materials, colored glass, and artificially generated natural phenomena such as wind, water, light, and fog, he enthralls his viewers, actively drawing them into works that recall experiments. When there is no temporary exhibition you can admire the personal collections of the Langen family.
We spent almost half a day to visit all there is to see at the Insel Hombroich and Rocket base site. The site is most enjoyably visited when the weather is nice, so ideal for a summer trip.
Insel Hombroich : Minkel 2, 41472 Neuss
Langen Foundation : Raketenstation Hombroich 1, 41472 Neuss
Opening hours Insel Hombroich : Museum Insel Hombroich ist open daily, including Monday
10am to 7pm from April 1st to September 30th
10am to 6pm from October 1st to October 31st
10am to 5pm, from November 1st to March 31st
The cafeteria opens at 11am until one hour before closing.
Opening Hours Langen Foundation : daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entrance Fee : Insel Hombroich : 15 euro (adult) / Lange Foundation : 7,50 euro / Combi ticket Insel Hombroich and Langen Foundation : 20 euro
http://www.langenfoundation.de/en/home/
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