In close collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) of the Netherlands, TiMe Amsterdam and Tropenmuseum, the master students of the Master of Museology  are participating in a special study project with professionals of the Heritage Division of the National Railway Company in Indonesia. This case study focuses on the revitalisation of Ambarawa Railway Museum in Central-Java.

In a two week programme the international master students and six Indonesian participants are to come up with inspiring and sustainable ideas to refurbish one of the major projects in Indonesia.

Engaging experiences
Current museological and economic theories suggest that we have entered a different socio-cultural and competitive economic phase. Museums need to focus on how to engage their visitors and users. This stretches as far as delivering well told stories in engaging exhibitions, offering worthwhile catering services and nice memorabilia as museum shop souvenirs. It also means thinking about new ways to sustain your museum work (preserving, studying and communicating) through opportunities which can be captured under the name of cultural entrepreneurship.

Programme
The programme is filled with lectures, on site visits with behind the scenes talks of various professionals and consultants, discussions, workshops (e.g. the use of new and social media) and self-study based on selected literature.

Furthermore, the group (consisting of 20 people) undertakes several exciting fact-finding excursions, amongst which are visits to the recently renovated Scheepvaartmuseum, the National Railway Museum, the open air Zuiderzeemuseum, the Zaanse Schans and Zaans Museum. Curators and other staff members of these museums have gladly agreed upon receiving the guests and contributing insights.

Ambawara Railway Museum
The Ambarawa Railway Museum is a complex and therefore challenging project with various railway stations, existing tracks (including a mountain track), a fascinating selection of rolling stock including various (steam) engines and a rich selection of related museum collections. Most of the collections are considered as important mutual heritage where Dutch and Indonesian history touch each other and are (re)valued in its setting. After several missions by the RCE and TiMe to the Indonesion National Railways, the Kereta Api Indonesia, the group of the museum staff of Ambarawa Railway Museum agreed upon participating in this special training.

The museum is currently undergoing a renovation. New ideas for a refurbishment programme are currently being sketched and blueprinted. The Reinwardt Academy students work close together with their Indonesian counterparts in this ‘steam boiler’ project, where under slight pressure cooker conditions ideas are being poured out, reflected upon, and refined. This all will result in three offerings and presentations filled with ideas of new programmes and offerings with a clear-cut core audience in mind and based on the current possibilities (space, collections, staff, means, etc.) as they are in Ambarawa. The museum plans to start the renewal process in 2014.