Text description provided by the architects. The ensemble of buildings that today makes up the Rapperswil-Jona municipal museum looks back on a history of more than years.
Starting at the end of the 13th century, a small fortified complex was built inside the town walls of Rapperswil on Lake Zurich. It was comprised of a fortified tower and a residential building, which were linked to one another by a utility building constructed along the town wall. A number of the extravagant interiors from halfway through the 16th century have been preserved until the present and they formed the origin of the museum, which was established in three buildings from onwards.
Another factor was that the layout of the buildings, which had evolved gradually over time, was such that the ways of getting through them were convoluted, which rendered it impossible to satisfy the requirements of safety and security as well as those of present-day museology. At the same time, the idea was progressively taking shape on the political front of merging the towns of Rapperswil and Jona, which became reality in Renovation of the museum was thus the first joint project as a step into the cultural policy of the future.
It is designed to attract the attention of members of the public interested in culture without stopping at the municipal boundaries and presents the museum and the town as an appealing destination for excursions. The project to put up the new building has been sensitively integrated in the historic town. The view from the north, which is important for the overall visual impression of the town, is to remain unchanged.
The building fits discreetly into the background of the historic picture presented by the narrow town-centre streets. In addition to a new main entrance, the Breny House and Breny Tower parts of the museum now benefit from disabled access thanks to the new building.
