With »Let’s Play the Middle Ages – How Games Tell History«, the European Hansemuseum is planning an innovative exhibition starting on 9 October 2026 that goes far beyond classic museum presentations. The exhibition space in the museum’s Castle Friary will be transformed into an exciting world of games for a year. We use the mechanisms of games – interactivity, immersion and playful learning – to actively involve visitors.

The exhibition explores questions such as: How are the Middle Ages portrayed in games? Which aspects of the past are included? What role does authenticity play? And how do games influence us as a society? We create a playable experience in which guests consciously make decisions about rules, intervene in historical processes, interact with characters and change the course of history and stories. In this way, we create a meaningful experience that is not only functional, but also emotional and transformative, similar to what good games do.

The aim of the exhibition is to create a critical awareness of the representation of history in games. »Let’s Play the Middle Ages« shows how history is interpreted and instrumentalised in games. It promotes skills in source and media criticism and an awareness that games, as a mass medium, have a decisive influence on current discourse.

»Let’s Play the Middle Ages«: from 9 October 2026 to 31 October 2027 at the European Hansemuseum in Lübeck.

Do you have any ideas, are you interested in collaborations, or do you have any questions on the topic? We look forward to hearing from you!

Contact: Franziska Evers, franziska.evers@hansemuseum.eu.