FLUGT – Refugee Museum of Denmark, designed by architects BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and exhibition designers Tinker imagineers, was officially inaugurated in the summer of 2022 in the presence of Queen Margrethe II. The new museum is created by Varde Museums, who is also behind TIRPITZ, the international tourist attraction in Blåvand (for which Tinker also designed the exhibitions). FLUGT is situated in Oksbøl on the west coast of Jutland. After World War II, the site of the museum housed the largest refugee camp for German civilians in Denmark. The brief was to create a concept for the exhibitions inside the new museum (app. 800 m2) and a concept for the storytelling in the former refugee camp, now a forest of 4.5 km2. FLUGT wanted to be the first museum in the world dedicated to refugees’ stories: both contemporary and historical.

The brand-new museum gives a voice and a face to refugees worldwide. It captures their universal challenges, emotions, drive, and stories. The exhibitions use personal stories to put a face to the history and abstract numbers, and to show the connection between the local history of Oksbøl and today’s refugee crisis. The search for refuge and the tensions that come with it are of all times, and it’s something that could happen to anyone.

Tinker came up with an innovative immersive design in which the stories of refugees of all times are told in a way people have never experienced before. The museum experience consists of several exhibition rooms and a large outdoor area. The personal stories of the refugees are brought to life with visual highlights, soundscapes, animations, interviews, and original film material. Audio has been used in a groundbreaking manner and really is the spine of the exhibition. This turns it into an extra intimate and individual museum visit. It strengthens visitors' understanding of what refugees faced then and still face today. Visitors get to know them through their personal stories.

Outside, a huge and notable model of the former camp, made of concrete and Corten Steel, indicates its scale. Here, visitors start an immersive audio walk through the forest. During their walk, they hear sounds and voices, experiencing history through the eyes of former camp refugees. This offers visitors a realistic experience of what daily life in the camp was like. The cemetery and an old barrack can be visited as well.

The materials used for the museum and exhibitions are as sustainable as possible, with a lot of wood and Corten steel. Which is long-lasting and besides recyclable. The museum has been open since summer 2022 and so far received a lot of positive feedback from visitors. Press reviews have also been very complimentary.

Project size: 800 m2 inside / 4.5 km2 outside (forest audio walk)