The origins of the Universum®

How it all began:

The foundations for the Universum® were laid in 1996 by passionate professors from the University of Bremen with the aim of establishing a science centre with a pronounced focus on hands-on experience in the Hanseatic City of Bremen.

It was a complete success!

The project development for the ambitious large-scale project was performed by the Universum® GmbH trust in close cooperation with the University of Bremen, Petri & Tiemann GmbH and Zechbau. Thanks to the excellent collaboration between academia and business, it was possible to complete and open the Universum® Bremen on 9 September 2000 after a comparatively short construction period of just a year and a half.

The Universum® is constantly expanding!

The Universum® expanded in 2007. The Silver Whale was complemented with an additional building for temporary exhibitions and an outdoor area. As such, the Universum® now offers countless possibilities and perspectives: visitors can investigate scientific phenomena, explore exciting special exhibitions on varying topics, or discover further exhibits outdoors in the fresh air.

A good old spring clean

After 14 years and more than 5 million visitors, the permanent exhibition in the Silver Whale was completely renovated from 3 November 2014 to 5 March 2015. The building was gutted, walls moved and floors renewed. The result: a completely new visitor experience! The original “expeditions” have now been replaced with three new topic levels: Technology, Mankind and Nature. The exhibition has remained true to its interactive concept, but has also been complemented with multimedia exhibits and more detailed texts, which offer an up-to-date insight into research.

Management

In May 2013, 100 per cent of the private corporate shares in the Universum® were taken over by the municipal holding company Science Center Bremen GmbH (BSC). The BSC owns the building. The Universum® is managed by Universum Managementges. mbH (UMG), which employs around 100 members of part-time and full-time staff.

To make the cooperation and academic exchange between research institutes and companies from Bremen and further afield even closer and more intensive in the future, the Senator for Economic Affairs, Employment and Ports has established a scientific advisory council. The following institutions are represented on the council by members of their boards of directors or their deans: Telekom Stiftung Bonn, Stifterverband Berlin, Leibniz Association, Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, AWI Bremerhaven, University of the Arts Bremen, Bremen University of Applied Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, University of Bremen, University of Bremen Technology Park Association.

The Universum® Bremen is the perfect place for an eventful trip for young and old researchers at any time of the year!