The 2016 European Football Championship is over, but if you haven’t had enough of the Germans’ favorite team sport, we recommend a visit to the Football Museum in Dortmund. In the permanent and changing special exhibitions, original objects from German soccer history showcase its heyday, player legends and tournament successes. A sport that has shaped an entire nation and its culture becomes the focus of attention. Restauro spoke to museum director Manuel Neukirchner about the exhibits and the conservation measures that had to be carried out on them for the exhibition.
Mr. Neukirchner, the museum opened in 2015, after three years of construction, lengthy planning and 10,220 researched objects: How did you obtain the objects, some of which were certainly privately owned?
The basis was extensive research into the history of soccer. This resulted in a variety of contacts with archives, museums and private lenders who, in addition to the DFB archive in Frankfurt, provided the majority of the exhibits on display. We are not a scientific museum and do not have a museum collection concept in the conventional sense. Rather, we have only transferred exhibits that we actually show in our exhibition. The German Football Museum sees itself as an experience-oriented and very media-oriented exhibition house. The exhibits on display fulfill scenographic purposes, always with the aim of bringing the history of soccer in Germany to life for all generations.
The exhibits include textiles such as Oliver Bierhoff’s jersey, Mario Götze’s boots, which he used to score the goal in the 2014 World Cup, the four trophies from the World Cups won so far and the original final ball from 1954: how do you handle these different materials in terms of conservation?
The building has a ventilation system so that the temperature and fresh air supply inside can be regulated. We work with external specialists from the fields of restoration and conservation to create the climate in the display cases, as we do not have our own positions for these areas in line with our overall concept. The values in the display cases are checked at regular intervals using digital data loggers. Each display case has been individually manufactured for the individual exhibition areas and the lighting of the exhibits is also individually adjusted according to their conservation requirements. Only LEDs with a value of less than 50 lux are used inside the display cases.
What was the original condition of the objects?
Some exhibits were prepared or cleaned by conservators. For example, there was tarnished metal with traces of corrosion, holey or discolored textiles, soiled leather and torn and/or discolored paper. Other exhibits had already been prepared for conservation by their respective owners before they were brought in, for example the national team’s jersey emblem from 1909 (Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig). It was mounted at a flat angle and placed in a specially made display case with its own climate.
Another example is a cotton jersey worn by Günter Netzer, which has been restored. It was discussed with the textile restorer that the original soiling from the 1970s should be retained and the individual flaws in the fabric should be sealed to prevent further fabric decay.
And at what intervals do you consider restoration to be necessary?
Our regular showcase inspections allow us to keep an eye on possible changes in the material properties of the exhibits. If necessary, any deviations are documented, passed on to the respective lender and restored with their consent.
What needs to be considered with such “young” materials as the fabric of a soccer shirt from the 20th century when it is converted from its original utility function into an exhibit?
Here too, we rely on external specialists for restoration and conservation. When presenting the jerseys, we always make sure that they are not damaged. Most of the jerseys are displayed on padded figurines. The few jerseys that had to be folded for scenographic reasons are also padded with fleece and additionally lined with molleton.
