As a WWI museum, the collection of the Passchendaele Museum, both in content as volume, is a strong asset. The collection at the Passchendaele Museum is dynamic. In the past years, it has grown through targeted purchases, donations and archaeological finds related to WWI.
The core collection of the Passchendaele Museum consists mainly of militaria. There are also a large number of personal objects and documents in the museum’s collection. Furthermore, it comprises a limited share of WWI-related archaeological finds and relics.
The core collection of the Passchendaele Museum is divided into a few sub-collections, mainly originating from dissolved museums or private collections:
- The old collection, acquired between 1989 and 2002
- The Hill 60 collection, acquired in 2007
- The Vieux-Berquin collection, acquired in 2008
- The Fierens collection, acquired in 2009
Our collection holds almost 14,000 objects. About half of the collection can be found in the permanent museum exhibitions. The remaining exhibits are stored in the new museum depot and are used for temporary exhibitions, loans and research.
The current formation of the collection deviates from the previous collection profile that was more focused on realising a regional museum. With the acquisition of new exhibits, the MMP1917 endeavours to remain true to its theme, “a military history museum telling the story of the First World War with a focus on the Battle of Passchendaele through a thematic approach.”
For several years now, the acquisition policy has been aligned to completing the permanent displays and on the contextual structure of the new museum expansion. The main part of the acquisition budget was spent on militaria. Thereby enabling us to perfect and complete the existing permanent exhibition. For this, we use comprehensibly drafted wish lists. The MMP1917 takes into consideration that exceptional or unique collections could become available. If concerning a justified addition, we can progress to purchasing a complete collection.
Besides targeted purchases of collection exhibits, the collection also has also grown through donations, loans and excavations.
