Stadt Bochum, Planetarium
Uncover the mysteries of the universe and the secrets of physics. Experiment and try things out for yourself. There cannot be a more playful way of experiencing natural science than the one offered by the country’s adventure museums. A family excursion to the pyramids in the Sauerland region or the jungle near Cologne will leave children and parents alike amazed at what they find themselves surrounded by. One place may have them meet a robot, another one the popular “Mouse” character. The world turns very small all of a sudden, while the sky comes very close, and you can even take a selfie in one of the world’s largest cameras. Boredom certainly has no place among these excursion destinations full of amazement and experimentation. After all, there is enough to do for the entire family as well, as all of these interactive museums explicitly encourage touching, participating, and trying things out.
Galileo Park
Science made easy for children
Tinkering and research
Families can figure out seemingly unexplained phenomena on a trip to Lennestadt. The four pyramids of the Galileo Park that have become something of the secret landmark of the Sauerland region reveal the secrets and riddles of science in a playful manner. Changing exhibitions from the “World of the Inexplicable” are on offer here and trying things out is explicitly encouraged in the knowledge and puzzle park.
The same is true of the Phänomenta in Lüdenscheid, another interactive museum that is all about science and technology. Small experiments let visitors experience up close what physicists have researched before. A total of 200 stations encourage visitors to try things out and puzzle over them. Special exhibitions supplement the offering at all times.
www.phaenomenta-luedenscheid.de
Families can brave an expedition through the jungle or challenge a robot at a basketball game during a visit to Odysseum in Cologne, where various themed worlds combine fun and science. By the way, the “Mouse” character from the entertaining and informative “Sendung mit der Maus” children’s show has its own little museum in the adventure museum as well, presenting informative stories up close. The best thing about it all is that children can create their very own fully little stories in the animation studio there.
www.odysseum.de
Dennis Stratmann
Starring stars
An exciting views of the universe
A former water tower in Mülheim an der Ruhr gives families the opportunity to discover the world’s largest walk-in camera: the Camera Obscura. It can be used to observe precisely what is going on in the surrounding area. Within the Camera Obscura, part of the Industrial Culture route that crosses the entire Ruhr region, the museum spirits visitors back to the time when pictures were just learning to walk and nobody knew about selfies yet.
www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de
A telescope will let you look even further than the camera obscura. The Zeiss Planetarium in Bochum makes it possible to observe the starry sky even in bad weather thanks to some exciting films. A projector will simulate the sky at any time and place in the world during the shows.
