Conversion of the Liebig Museum: reopening in September 2025!

The Liebig Museum in Gießen will in future be heated with environmentally friendly district heating by the Gießen municipal utility. This decision was made before the devastating fire in the museum. The renovation work that started on January 6, 2025 aims at a planned reopening in September 2025. The fire, which was triggered last year by a technical defect in the historical lecture hall, led to enormous damage that is estimated at half a million euros.

The historical lecture hall, which is considered the birthplace of modern chemistry and in which experimental lectures used to be, was significantly affected. The experiment table in the lecture hall was completely destroyed in the fire. Those responsible for the museum then developed a master plan for the Liebig Museum 2.0, which eliminates the fire damage and comprises comprehensive modernization of the house in order to preserve the historical heritage and at the same time integrate modern technology and sustainability.

progress in reconstruction

After the fire, the first measures to restore were already taking place. The cleaning of books and busts has been completed, and the processing of tables and chairs as well as the renewal of the plaster are also planned. In the further modernization, the heating system, the electrics and windows, roof and facade of the building are revised. Prof. Gerd Hamscher, chairman of the Justus Liebig-Gesellschaft, which operates the museum, said that the company is financed through membership fees, entrance fees, rents and donations.

With the new heating technology, the eleven night storage stoves and three gas boilers replaced, in addition to security in energy policy, the maintenance effort is also reduced, which means relief for the caretaker. The house connection for district heating was already installed in the summer of 2023. There are currently no regular visits or experimental lectures in the museum, but alternative events are offered, such as "Liebig to Go". A digital 360-degree tour of the museum is available on the website, but this dates from the time before the fire, such as hessenschau.de reported.