Titanic exhibition in Hamburg: How modern can a museum be?

Hamburg. "Welcome aboard." These are the first words every visitor to the exhibition reads. On the sign at the entrance, the captain of the Titanic, Edward John Smith, smiles amiably. In the background, the cheers of seagulls echoing through loudspeakers and classical music blend. Added to this are the murmuring voices of other visitors.

Although you don't get the feeling of boarding until a little later in this Titanic exhibition, the entrance area already conveys one of the aims of the following exhibition: Visitors should not only learn about the famous ship "Titanic," which collided with an iceberg and sank while crossing the Atlantic in April 1912. They should feel as if they were there in person.

The exhibition combines classical elements and exhibits with modern methods such as virtual reality.

Source: IMAGO/Future Image

The exhibition is called "Titanic: An Immersive Journey" and runs until mid-September in an exhibition hall at the port of Hamburg. The show has previously toured venues in Milan and the USA, among others. As the name suggests, the exhibition relies on modern methods such as immersive spaces and virtual reality.

In recent years, more and more museums have opted for this method to reach new audiences—an international trend that often achieves considerable success. While modern formats are growing, some classic institutions, such as the Tate Modern in London, which in 2024 was still around 25 percent below its 2019 visitor level, are struggling to return to previous figures. Proponents of the trend emphasize easy access, inclusion, and new narrative forms. Critics, however, warn of eventization, superficiality, high costs, and the loss of the original.

It is supported by the German Titanic Association and its chairman, Malte Fiebing-Petersen, who is considered one of Germany's leading Titanic experts. He sees certain criteria for a good exhibition: "For me, a cool exhibition is, on the one hand, somewhat interactive, also addresses the emotional level, and, on the other hand, allows every visitor to engage with the subject matter as intensively as they are able or want to at that moment," says Fiebing-Petersen. Visitors can do this much better through an exhibition than, for example, in front of a documentary on television: "A documentary is – to put it bluntly – one-dimensional entertainment. An exhibition, on the other hand, offers an immersive experience," says the Titanic expert.

At first, the exhibition seems rather conventional: information panels, display cases filled with clothing, tools, and old photos. Those who wish can also take an audio guide. The rooms are designed with great attention to detail. But the introduction is generally unsurprising.

That changes a few rooms later. Like a real passenger, you walk across a wooden bridge through a replica of the ship's facade. Light piano music plays in the background as you enter a long hallway. The mirrors at the end of the room make the hallway, with its patterned tiled floor and wooden walls, seem infinitely long. This is where the illusion of the ship becomes tangible for the first time. You feel like you're not just a guest in a museum, but a passenger on the real Titanic.

The exhibition features detailed recreated rooms on the Titanic.

Source: Timm Ottenberg

This impression is also created in another way: Like a real passenger, each guest receives a boarding pass upon entry. It contains the name, origin, and class of a real person who was on board at the time. At the end of the exhibition, you find out whether they survived the sinking. The idea works. "You have this experience through this ticket, with this person, with whom you can identify," explains Fiebing-Petersen.

The rooms alternate between elaborate illusions and the classic museum setup. You're repeatedly immersed—into a recreated cabin, a dining room, a stairwell. And again and again, you return to rooms with exhibits behind glass. This mix doesn't always work smoothly. Some transitions almost completely pull you out of the experience, others are well done and maintain the illusion better.

The immersive elements allow visitors to relive the journey on the Titanic again and again.

Source: picture alliance / NurPhoto

One highlight is the so-called immersive room. Immersive rooms are environments designed to give you the feeling of being completely immersed in another world.

The immersive exhibition space is accessed through a dark corridor with a metal gate, similar to the one fans recognize from James Cameron's famous Hollywood film. The floor appears damp due to the painted water, and waves rush toward the visitor from behind the gate. The idea solidifies: you are right in the middle of a catastrophe. Then a large room opens up. In the center: a lifeboat, crates. Surrounding it: a 360-degree video wall.

In the immersive space, visitors can experience the downfall.

Source: IMAGO/NurPhoto

Here, you experience the sinking of the Titanic. The room is dark, cold, and the atmosphere is tense. Original radio messages from the night mingle with music, voices, and the sound of water. Visitors stare spellbound at the video screen. Some appear visibly moved. This is precisely where the exhibition reaches its most powerful moment, especially on an emotional level. "This room with the lifeboat, where you sit in this 1:1 replica – that was a truly very, very moving moment for me," says Fiebing-Petersen.

A few rooms later, the exhibition ends – without any technical surprises. In the last room, there's a blue-lit glass case. It displays the names of the passengers – sorted by class and fate: rescued or dead. This is where the boarding passes from the beginning of the exhibition come into play, closing the circle. Using the name and class, visitors can find their passenger again. No matter what fate their "own" passenger met, it's emotionally impactful: "You won't leave happy. I think that's a good thing, because it's meant to be upsetting," says Fiebing-Petersen.

Anyone who wants to can also book a VR room after the exhibition. Wearing a pair of glasses, you'll be guided through an animated version of the Titanic. You'll float through the ship and its wreck, traverse individual rooms, and gaze out at the ocean. Sometimes your knees might even wobble—especially during suspended movements or in narrow corridors.

But not everything runs perfectly here either: The headset's battery levels are in the field of view, your own feet are missing, and the outlines of the other guests in the room visible through the headset appear artificial and spoil the illusion. Those with a fear of heights should therefore approach this area with caution. As a modern means of telling the story, however, virtual reality works surprisingly well.

The exhibition aims to be more than just a regular museum. It tries hard to achieve this. Not everything works. It often succeeds in creating a connection between the story and the emotions evoked. But sometimes it stumbles a bit. The approach isn't perfect, but it's exciting.

"The exhibition isn't set up in the classic museum format; it's all about the experience. The idea was to reach as broad an audience as possible," explains Fiebing-Petersen. This experience is particularly well-executed when using new methods. It shows that museums can be more than just exhibits behind display cases. If you want to see for yourself, the Titanic Museum is the place to be.