Milan's National Museum of Resistance to Open in Herzog & de Meuron Building

Milan will host the National Museum of the Resistance, announced on December 9, 2019, by Culture Minister Dario Franceschini and Mayor Beppe Sala. The museum, costing €17.5 million, will occupy 2,500 square meters in the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Porta Volta complex between via Montello and via Volta. Governance will be handled by a foundation involving the Municipality, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ferruccio Parri National Institute, with support from the Lombardy Region. Funding comes from the Development and Cohesion Fund. The museum aims to preserve the memory of Italy's liberation from Nazi occupation and fascism. A scientific committee will coordinate with local resistance museums, including ANPI and the Ferruccio Parri Institute. The physical opening is expected between 2025 and 2026, but on April 25, 2021, the 76th anniversary of Liberation, the museum launched online at www.museonazionaleresistenza.it, with social media profiles on Instagram and Facebook. The digital platform features photos, videos, audio, and historical documents. The project resolves a previous proposal to use the Casa della Memoria, which was deemed too small (400 square meters). A petition with 2,700 signatures, supported by Senator Liliana Segre, helped secure a separate venue. The museum will occupy one of two twin buildings; the other houses Microsoft and the Feltrinelli Foundation. Critics have called for museums in peripheral areas, but the project proceeds.