PHÄNOMENTA

Description

As an affiliated science center of the Europa-Universität Flensburg, the Phänomenta conveys scientific phenomena through hands-on experimentation. Located on Norderstraße by the Nordertor, it occupies 19th-century listed buildings as well as complementary extensions and exhibition spaces in the urban area; over the years the exhibition space gradually grew from an initial roughly 1,800 m² to about 3,500 m² with almost 200 experiment stations.

The idea originated in the mid-1980s at the College of Education in Flensburg; the first stations were tested in corridors and courtyards and by 1988 around 100 exhibits had been developed. In the early 1990s separate rooms were set up and opened to visitors in 1993; the official opening of the renovated complex followed in 1995. In subsequent years a “Haus der Kommunikation” and a new extension at the Nordertor were added; planned expansions were the subject of some controversy. Temporary exhibits placed in the cityscape outside the building sometimes suffered from a lack of maintenance.

The educational concept is aimed primarily at school classes and young visitors. The objective is to make mathematical, physical and technical connections understandable through hands-on experimentation; the guiding idea is “From Wonder to Thinking.” Exhibits may be touched and primarily provide action-oriented instructions rather than detailed physical explanations; there are no fixed tours or didactic pathways. Special offerings include a “Zwergenphänomenta” for three- to six-year-olds as well as the Miniphänomenta project, in which teachers receive two-day training sessions, can use complete experiment kits for short-term loans, and are provided with construction manuals; this format reached several thousand schools and was published in several foreign languages.

The institution is sponsored by a support association; administratively the Phänomenta is integrated as an affiliated institute of the university and collaborates scientifically with its departments. In-house developed exhibits are manufactured, rented out and sold and constitute an important source of revenue. The facility also serves as a practical training field for teacher education and cooperates with other scientific institutions. Operating costs and visitor numbers have fluctuated over the years; after a peak in the mid-2000s visitor numbers declined again, but they remain in the substantial six-figure range.