Museum Huis van Gijn

Project Location: Dordrech, Holland

Project Background Brief

The house on the Nieuwe Haven 29 in Dordrecht, Holland was built in 1729 by order of Johan van Nurenberg, a wealthy regent. From 1864 Simon van Gijn, a businessman and collector lived here until his death in 1922. Van Gijn left the house and most of his collections to the Old Dordrecht Society. His wish was for the collections to be made publicly accessible and for his home to be converted into a museum, keeping the interior in its original condition as much as possible.

The house has been open to the public since 1925. Alongside interiors dating back to the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the museum also has a splendid collection of arts and crafts, a toy collection and an extensive collection of history prints and drawings, known as the Van Gijn Atlas. Between 1999 and 2001 the museum underwent thorough restoration to return the building to the state it was in when Van Gijn lived there.

Particular Challenges

By using the Rako wireless system, LRS were able to perfectly control and dim all lighting in the Huis van Gijn Museum without having to make any serious adjustments to the cabling. Due to the age of the property, its character and monumental design, it was impossible to make major adjustments such as milling out walls for cabling.

With a flexible system like Rako, the museum is able to have the functionality and technology of today, whilst maintaining the look and feel of the past.