831 
An 'invisible museum' that cuts into the protected sands of Blåvand in western Denmark expands a historic German bunker from the Second World War and seamlessly creates multiple exhibition spaces. Varde Museums, Bjarke Ingels Group and Tinker Imagineers recently celebrated the opening of TIRPITZ, a cultural sanctuary that serves as a contemplative counterbalance to the site's rugged war history.
The 2,800-square-metre facility began construction in 2014 after securing financing from A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation, Nordea Foundation, Augustinus Foundation and Varde Municipality. TIRPITZ is expected to pull 100,000 visitors every year — its central courtyard permitting access to four underground gallery spaces.
"The new TIRPITZ is planned, built and furnished as a portal to the Danish West Coast's treasure trove of hidden stories," said Varde Museum Director Claus Kjeld Jensen in a press release. "It has been our goal to create a humble, world-class attraction surprising its visitors with new perspectives on the majestic landscape. Our guests deserve the best; with BIG's limitless and inviting architecture and with Tinker Imagineers' wondrous and playful exhibitions, I feel we have achieved this. TIRPITZ is an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience – violent, astonishing, dramatic, hidden — almost invisible."
The concrete, steel, glass and wood museum is not readily visible, subtly embedded into the landscape as a contrasting element to the heaviness of the artillery fortress, an immense concrete block. The exhibitions highlight permanent and temporary experiences and each sunken gallery has its own distinct personality. Visitors are guided into the historic bunker from the galleries, activating light and shadows that indicate how the bunker functioned.
"The architecture of the TIRPITZ is the antithesis to the WWII bunker. The heavy hermetic object is countered by the inviting lightness and openness of the new museum," said Bjarke Ingels. "The galleries are integrated into the dunes like an open oasis in the sand — a sharp contrast to the Nazi fortress' concrete monolith. The surrounding heath-lined pathways cut into the dunes from all sides descending to meet in a central clearing, bringing daylight and air into the heart of the complex. The bunker remains the only landmark of a not so distant dark heritage that upon close inspection marks the entrance to a new cultural meeting place."
