Press release
The history of science centres
The origins of interactive, hands-on exhibitions date back
to the 19th century
Science centres worldwide play a major role in non-formal
education and leisure activities. In 1999, 185 million people
visited science centres worldwide, and this number has risen
continuously since then. But how did they first come about?
Beginning of the 19th century: classical museums
Private collections and cabinets were opened up to the public in
order to enable them to share in the scientific discoveries that
were being made. Popular science lectures and journals
enjoyed great popularity.
1888: Urania
In 1888 Wilhelm Meyer founded the Urania in Berlin in
response to Alexander von Humboldt's call for free access to
scientific education for all citizens. Some believe the Urania
was the world's first science centre, its emphasis being on
spectacular demonstrations and experiments that illustrated the
orderly nature of scientific phenomena.
Beginning of the 20th century: the Deutsches Museum
In 1903 the Deutsches Museum opened its doors in Munich. It
included push-button exhibits developed and coordinated on
the basis of educational criteria, with schools being given
educational support in the form of demonstrations.
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Additional press information and images:
Svenja Althans
Universum Managementges. mbH, Wiener Straße 1a, 28359 Bremen
Tel: (0421) 33 46-111, Fax: (0421) 33 46-109,
E-mail: s.althans@universum-bremen.de
1967: Experience fields for the development of the senses
Hugo Kükelhaus exhibited his "Experience field for the
development of the senses" in the German pavilion at the World
Exhibition in Montreal. His aim was to reawaken human senses
by means of experience-based educational exhibitions.
1969: Exploratorium
Frank Oppenheimer founded the
Exploratorium
in San
Francisco. It is now often considered a model for all science
centres.
In
the
Exploratorium,
interactivity
became
an
educational principle, and Frank Oppenheimer saw it as a way
in which visitors could be transformed into active and
responsible citizens.
1984 to today: science centres in Europe
Starting in San Francisco, a wave of successful science centres
began to be established in North America and subsequently in
Europe. The travelling exhibition Phänomena in Zurich included
400 interactive exhibits and attracted more than 1.2 million
visitors. As a result, science centres were founded all over
Europe, including the Technorama in Winterthur, the Heureka in
Helsinki, the Exploratory in Bristol, the New Metropolis in
Amsterdam, and many more. In Germany these projects were
initially slow to take off, with the first science centres
established in Berlin (the Spectrum - part of the German
Technical Museum), and in Flensburg (Phänomenta) in 1983
and 1990 respectively. Now more and more German cities have
their
own
science
centres,
including
Bremen,
where
®
Universum Bremen opened its doors in 2000. In July 2007 it
was expanded to include an outdoor area called the
EntdeckerPark,
and
in
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Additional press information and images:
Svenja Althans
Universum Managementges. mbH, Wiener Straße 1a, 28359 Bremen
Tel: (0421) 33 46-111, Fax: (0421) 33 46-109,
E-mail: s.althans@universum-bremen.de
October 2007 to include the SchauBox special exhibition
building.
Source
Fiesser, Lutz:
Raum für Zeit, Quellentexte zur Pädagogik der
interaktiven Science-Zentren, Flensburg 2000
For further information on Universum® Bremen, call (0421) 33
46-0 or visit www.universum-bremen.de.
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Additional press information and images:
Svenja Althans
Universum Managementges. mbH, Wiener Straße 1a, 28359 Bremen
Tel: (0421) 33 46-111, Fax: (0421) 33 46-109,
E-mail: s.althans@universum-bremen.de