Baan Hollanda: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

This thesis is an example of theory in action, or applied theory. It examines the development of Baan Hollanda between 2010 and 2017. It explores the interpretational approaches, design strategies, management structures and political impact on the project. It is very rare that the application of museum theory is described in such detail.

It illustrates how a modern museum should be conceptualised and organised in the context of the global/international museum movement and what is wrong with traditional ways of doing museology and museum management.

This study also provides a very unique insight into what happens when a museum is independent of the bureaucratic forces that normally envelop government-run museums; when issues of ownership are left unresolved; when national traditions run up against new global ideas and research; when financial planning for the present and the future sustainability of the institution is left in doubt.

The result of the study also generates insights into making a museum successful in visitors’ minds. One needs to pay attention to what contributes to the holistic experience, namely the aesthetic, the knowledge, the service, the hospitality and the progressive ideas on museology.

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