She is the curator and deputy director of the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald: Birte Frenssen. In the first part of "MV Locals", the art historian takes us to her favorite places.
The setting winter sun makes Birte Frenssen's bright red sweater glow. The woman with the timeless short haircut and alert brown eyes is standing on a bridge over the Ryck, her gaze fixed on the water. „Well, did it work?“, suddenly asks an elderly lady as she passes by. Frenssen turns around, smiles and exhales deeply. „Yes, everything worked out.“
Frenssen is a curator at the Pomeranian State Museum and a familiar face in Greifswald. On this day in December, the art historian is particularly in demand. The new Gallery of Romanticism has just opened. And Birte Frenssen, who incidentally has a doctorate but is down-to-earth when it comes to offering the first name, is beaming with happiness.
Watching visitors walk through the exhibition, looking at the Eldena ruins in the Giant Mountains and other paintings by the famous Greifswald painter Caspar David Friedrich, is the best thing for her. But a special moment was also just before the opening, when she was curating the exhibition, sitting alone on the floor and thinking about how to hang the artworks so that they would be shown to their best advantage for visitors.
The new gallery of romanticism
Two years were spent working on a romantic chapel and the redesign of the gallery, both of which are integrated into the Pomeranian State Museum. Now it's finally done. Visitors can now enter the new permanent exhibition on Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) through a kind of „airlock“, as Frenssen puts it.
At first glance, this airlock simply consists of a very dark room. But when the two meter-high screens at the end of the room light up and play weather scenes over the sea, accompanied by background music, the atmosphere draws the visitor out of everyday life and into the world of the famous painter.
„Ad Lumen“, (to the light), is the name of the impressive work of art that is intended to convey Caspar David Friedrich's view of nature to visitors. A view that never just touches the surface, but goes into the depths. His gaze into the infinite.nbsp;nbsp;
Recharging batteries in a sea kayak
On the day of the opening, Frenssen walks through the exhibition with an alert eye. Where is there still room for improvement? How do visitors react? The Caspar David Friedrich expert is an energetic woman who hardly seems to notice the countless hours of work she must have put in over the past few months. But she also needs time out to recharge her batteries. And she takes them, for example, when she paddles her sleek English sea kayak over the waves in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. „It's an incredible freedom,“ says Frenssen. Sometimes she is accompanied, but often she enjoys the peace and quiet when she is alone in her kayak.
The 58-year-old grew up in Husum, right by the North Sea. As a child, she went into the water with her uncle, even in rougher conditions. Since then, she has loved waves in every form, says Frenssen with a mischievous grin. And so her home in Greifswald is also right on the water, on the Ryck. The boathouse is just five minutes away.
Other favorite places of the art historian
However, the water is not the only place where Birte Frenssen finds peace and quiet. She likes to swap her seat in the kayak for a cozy spot in the „Café Getrud“, which is just a few hundred meters from the Pomeranian State Museum.
If she takes a break here, she doesn't have to change her mind at all. Because the café is also all about art. After all, the namesake is the Greifswald painter Gertrud Berger, whose works hang in the guest room - along with information about her life. This place is intended to be an interactive place of cultural remembrance.
Frenssen, who is looking out of the window with a cup of tea in her hand, is happy to support this idea. In the direction of the nearby St. Nikolai Cathedral, where another of the art historian's favorite places is located. The organ bench. When she sits there in the gallery, leaning close to her husband, she is completely at peace with herself.
Frank Dittmer was the organist here for 20 years. Today he works as a professor of church music with a focus on choral conducting at the University of Greifswald. The two have two children together. A 24-year-old son who is studying law. And a 26-year-old daughter, who apparently has similar interests to her mother – her subjects: first art history, now history.
Frenssen wants to make this wish come true
„Art has always been inside me“, says Frenssen. She could also have imagined becoming a communication designer. After graduating from high school, however, she decided on art history. Partly because she was already interested in history as a teenager. She never wanted to go to university or do research. It is the practical side of her job as a curator that she still loves today: "I have several professions in one. I am an interior designer, journalist, museum director and book designer. I think that's great.“
But Birte Frenssen still has one wish: when she retires, she would like to illustrate children's books.
16 results
- Read more: "VIA MOLINA Baltic Sea Route Vorpommern"
VIA MOLINA Baltic Sea Route Vorpommern
- 17493 Greifswald-Eldena
Explore the Via Molina Baltic Sea Route Vorpommern - a fascinating mill tour along the Baltic Sea coast. Discover mills such as the Erdholländer windmill Steinhagen, the Bockwindmühle Pudagla and the Motormühle Lübs. This route combines culture, history and technology with picturesque landscapes
- Read more: "Sociocultural center St. Spiritus"
©© Wally Pruss Sociocultural center St. Spiritus
- Lange Straße, 17489 Greifswald
The Sociocultural Center offers an atmospheric platform for many events in the historical ambience: Concerts with live music of various genres, puppetry, theater, cabaret and other live events. In addition, there are changing art exhibitions, regular drawing and ceramics courses and art workshops.
- Read more: "Greifswald barrage"
Greifswald barrage
- Am Ryck, 17493 Greifswald
The Greifswald barrage is located in the water cross-section of the Ryck federal waterway at the mouth of the "Dänische Wiek" in the Greifswald-Wieck district. It forms an integral part of the flood protection system for the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald.
- Read more: "Rubenow Monument"
©© Gudrun Koch Rubenow Monument
- Freely accessible at any time
- 17489 Greifswald
The Rubenow Monument is the centerpiece of Rubenowplatz and depicts important representatives of Greifswald's university history.
- Read more: "University of Greifswald"
©© Gudrun Koch University of Greifswald
- Domstraße, 17489 Greifswald
The University of Greifswald is one of the oldest universities in Europe. The baroque main building with the old faculties in the middle of the old town is a particularly popular destination for tourists.
- Read more: "Theater and Stadthalle Greifswald"
©© Peter van Heesen Theater and Stadthalle Greifswald
- Robert-Blum-Straße, 17489 Greifswald
Theater Greifswald is part of Theater Vorpommern - together with Theater Stralsund since 1994 and Theater Putbus since 2006.
- Read more: "Greifswald museum shipyard"
Greifswald museum shipyard
- Salinenstraße, 17489 Greifswald
The last historic shipyard in Greifswald is somewhat hidden on the northern side of the Ryck and was founded in 2001 as a self-help shipyard for owners of historic ships.
- Read more: "Marketplace of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald"
©© Gudrun Koch Marketplace of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald
- Freely accessible at any time
- Markt, 17489 Greifswald
The development of the town of Greifswald began with the founding of Hilda Monastery. The town was first mentioned in a document in 1248 and received its town charter in 1250. The market square is the heart of the historic old town. Caspar David Friedrich painted the market square with a view of the Ratsapotheke and part of the town hall as a watercolor - on display in the Pomeranian State Museum.
- Read more: "Greifswald Information"
©© Wally Pruß Greifswald Information
- Rathaus / Markt, 17489 Greifswald
Accommodation service, souvenir sales, ticket service and best advice - the Greifswald information is the best address in the University and Hanseatic city (not only for tourists).
- Read more: "Caspar David Friedrich Center"
©© Caspar-David-Friedrich-Gesellschaft e. V., ©2021 Gudrun Koch Caspar David Friedrich Center
- Open today
- Lange Straße, 17489 Greifswald
The Caspar-David-Friedrich-Zentrum, opened in 2004 in the historic Seifensiederei and expanded in 2011 to include the entire former residential and commercial building of the Friedrich family, commemorates the great painter and greatest son of the city of Greifswald. It is also a museum, documentation and research center. Caspar David Friedrich was born here on September 5, 1774.
- Read more: "Parish Church Greifswald-Wiek"
Parish Church Greifswald-Wiek
- Kirchstraße, 17493 Greifswald
In the parish church Greifswald Wieck concerts of the Greifswalder Bachwoche take place.
- Read more: "Eldena monastery ruins"
©© Gudrun Koch Eldena monastery ruins
- Freely accessible at any time
- Wolgaster Landstraße, 17493 Greifswald
The monastery ruins and park are a popular excursion destination for Greifswald residents and their guests. The monastery ruins are also the starting and finishing point of the themed cycle path "Route of North German Romanticism", which traces the stations and lives of the North German Romantics of Western Pomerania.
- Read more: "VIA MOLINA Baltic Sea Route Vorpommern"
VIA MOLINA Baltic Sea Route Vorpommern
Explore the Via Molina Baltic Sea Route Vorpommern - a fascinating mill tour along the Baltic Sea coast. Discover mills such as the Erdholländer windmill Steinhagen, the Bockwindmühle Pudagla and the Motormühle Lübs. This route combines culture, history and technology with picturesque landscapes
- Read more: "Pomeranian State Museum"
©© Gudrun Koch Pomeranian State Museum
- Open today
- Rakower Str., 17489 Greifswald
14,000 years of eventful history on the southern Baltic coast on both sides of the Oder are presented between the former Franciscan church and the city wall - in an award-winning ensemble of buildings that impressively combines Gothic, classicist and contemporary architecture. The valuable collection of paintings presents works by renowned painters such as Caspar David Friedrich, Frans Hals, Philipp Otto Runge, Max Liebermann, Max Pechstein and Vincent van Gogh.
- Read more: "Eldena windmill"
Eldena windmill
- Wolgaster Landstraße, 17493 Greifswald-Eldena
The Eldena mill is a trestle windmill.
- Read more: "Caspar-David-Friedrich-Bildweg"
©© Gudrun Koch Caspar-David-Friedrich-Bildweg
- Rathaus/Markt, 17489 Greifswald
Discover the almost authentic pictorial motifs of the artist born in Greifswald - Caspar David Friedrich. At vantage points, which Friedrich chose as motifs for his works and which are still preserved today, you can recreate the typical Friedrich mood.
