The Museum
“Our project presents a new concept of an open and itinerant museum that offers an additional experience, in which the 40-metre long boat is transformed into a memorable narrative moment.”
Ico Migliore – Architect, Migliore+Servetto
The exhibition inside the museum building is an engaging journey to experience diversity, possible intersections and integration, which also alternates moments of exploration and reflection. Up to you, to begin your journey inside the museum and experience the brand-new exhibition or to travel back in time first on board the original boat, Prinzessin Marie-Astrid Europa, and relive the signing of the iconic Schengen Agreement.
The Museum
The exhibition inside the museum building is an engaging journey to experience diversity, possible intersections and integration, which also alternates moments of exploration and reflection. Up to you, to begin your journey inside the museum and experience the brand-new exhibition or to travel back in time first on board the original boat, Prinzessin Marie-Astrid Europa, and relive the signing of the iconic Schengen Agreement.
The exhibition
The new interactive exhibition offers an overview of the theme of (open) borders and its evolution to the present day from different perspectives.
- A Europe of Borders
Changing concepts of space
Significance of borders in the 20th century
Meaning and history of border controls - Schengen: Europe without borders
How did Schengen come to be?
Development of the Schengen Area
Schengen in our everyday life
Pros and cons of Schengen: the perception of open borders in the media
Fragility of Schengen - The borders of Schengen
The Schengen Visa – put yourself in the shoes of a visa applicant (interactive game)
Defending borders - The Schengen Myth
Schengen as a symbol in music and arts - Stories of Schengen (The Cube)
Intuitive, interactive & playful
The exhibition
A fluid path: the exhibition space – The museum develops as a route structured progression of texts and objects related to the themes of the four main sections — each with different content, form and multimedia.
Intuitive, interactive & playful
The exhibition
A place where borders disappear – and ideas connect
In Schengen a great European story took shape. Today, the museum at the heart of this place invites visitors to engage with the ideals and realities of a borderless Europe.
Following a complete transformation, the Schengen Museum opens its doors with a renewed sense of purpose. The newly designed exhibition doesn’t just recount history – it encourages reflection, raises questions, and sparks curiosity. Across several thematic spaces, visitors are guided through the evolution of borders, the principles behind the Schengen Agreement, and the broader implications of freedom of movement in Europe and beyond.
But more than anything, the museum is a space to pause – to think about how we live together, how we move, and how we imagine the future of our continent.
Whether you’re a traveler, a student, or simply curious, the museum offers a welcoming, contemporary setting to explore one of Europe’s most defining achievements. Languages, perspectives, generations – all are welcome here. Begin your visit where Europe chose to open its doors.
Intuitive, interactive & playful
To make the experience within the Museum even more personalised and participatory, visitors use a card, which you receive at the entrance, to move freely and activate the different digital stations. Select your desired language, choosing between German, French and English. At the end of the exhibition, print out your personalized Schengen passport as a souvenir of your visit to Schengen.
For our younger visitors (6-12 years): Please ask for your Schengen booklet, which explains the subject in an age-appropriate and entertaining way.
