The kickoff to the museum area makes the permanent exhibition of the vehicles of the fire engine museum in the ‘Wollaschopf’. Following the plans of scenographers chezweitz GmbH Berlin and architectural office raumhochrosen and with the help of many volunteers the former cotton warehouse of the textile factory ‘Ganahl’ was transformed into a spectacular display room with more than 50m length and 9m heigth.

‘The racing standstill’
One enters the powerful concrete and brick construction from the 19th century through a sliding door on the front side. A selection of 16 historical fire-fighting vehicles from the regional fire engine museum can be seen in a light and sound installation. The nighttime staging shows the vehicles fully equiped on the way to an imaginary site. The background is composed of lines made of luminescent strings visualizing the ‘Vorarlberg Haus’ and the natural landscape. To illustrate this dramatic moments large appliances and rescue equipment are floating in this unique interior space.

Many volunteers had spent thousands of hours to make the proposed design a reality. This had been preceded by a planning process in which all participants were involved und able to contribute ideas. To ensure that everyone pulls together different opinions had to be clarified in advance. This participation and personal contribution deserves highest recognition. And this is what makes this project so exciting.