Ode to joy on the Internet

Anyone who has ever browsed the Internet pages of the Eremitage or the Louvre knows: Nothing compared to a personal visit. Yet even though the computer monitor only partially reflects the real exhibits, it is still worthwhile taking the time to look.,

Prior to their actual visit, literature, music and art enthusiasts can closely view fine artifacts from exhibitions and collections. A well-made Internet site is of obvious benefit also to experts: It provides them with a convenient means of viewing and studying professional photographs of rare and precious original documents, such as letters and handwritten musical compositions. This also applies to the collection of original manuscripts by one of Germanys most famous composers, administered and exhibited at the Beethoven House in Bonn. In mid-May, the museum opened its website in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Media Communication IMK in nearby Sankt Augustin. The project was commissioned by the city of Bonn - the masters birthplace - and the German federal ministry of transport, construction and housing.
We only put a new module online once it has been completely developed and tested, emphasizes Marion Borowski. Naturally, this is a gradual process. But already now, users can for instance take a virtual tour around a special exhibition featuring the places where the roaming composer lived and worked during his lifetime. 13 houses and more than 70 apartments in and around Vienna and Bonn can lay claim to having served as lodgings for Beethoven. In just a few mouse-clicks, Internet users can discover the writings and compositions produced at these various stages of his life - with audio samples and visually. Handwritten, annotated scores reveal more about Beethovens personality than any printed material. An online gift shop offers all of the usual museum-shop products.
From next year onward, in gradual stages, a multimedia archive containing a much more comprehensive collection of music scores and digitalized images will be placed online. The scanned material in high-quality will also be available on CD. The site will feature a digital salon presenting visualized classical music, such allowing visitors to immerse themselves in and interact with virtual worlds. In two years from now, the final version will be complete, summarizes Borowski, the IMK project manager. It combines the resources of a multitude of different libraries, archives and databases. A content management system and our own work will ensure rapid, seamless access to the entire content, including material sourced in English.,For further information:,Marion Borowski ,Telefon +49/ 22 41 / 14-19 27 ,Fax +49/ 22 41 / 14-25 97 ,[e-mail]
www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de

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