Phoenix VR
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The Giessen Collection of Classical Antiquities acquired an impressive architectural setting when it was relocated to the new Ludoviciana university building at Ludwigstraße 23, inaugurated in 1880. Together with the Institute of Archaeology, the collection occupied the foyer and two naturally lit exhibition halls at the front of the building, covering more than 300 square metres. The display of archaeological objects attracted both members of the university and the wider public. Alongside the collection of original antiquities — now housed in the Oberhessisches Museum — the displays also included an extensive plaster cast collection of ancient sculptures, which served not only university teaching but also drawing instruction. During the remodelling of the building in 1940, the plaster cast collection was transferred to a “sculpture hall” located above the newly constructed vestibule leading to the main assembly hall. Prominently displayed on the first floor, the statues could be viewed from the foyer through five large wall openings. Larger-than-life casts of the Townley Venus and the Ares Borghese greeted visitors on either side of the two staircases leading to the collection. The plaster casts remained there until the building was largely destroyed during the air raid on Giessen on 6 December 1944, the eightieth anniversary of which was commemorated in 2024. Although the architectural shell of the university building was subsequently reconstructed and the original antiquities collection survived thanks to its timely relocation, only small remnants of the once extensive plaster cast collection survive today. The Phoenix VR project, led by the Department of Classical Archaeology at Justus Liebig University Giessen, seeks to reconstruct the lost collection in its original arrangement within a virtual environment using 3D models. The project will enable students and visitors alike to experience the plaster cast collection and its historical spatial impact while integrating the reconstruction into exhibitions, teaching, and research. Contact: Dr. Michaela Stark and Dr. Claudia Schmieder |
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