Arithmeum, Mathematics museum in Bonn, Germany.
The Arithmeum is a science museum in Bonn, housed in a modern glass and steel building on the university campus, with one of the largest collections of mechanical calculating machines in the world. The displays cover several centuries of calculation tools, from early hand-operated devices to the first mechanical computers.
The museum grew out of the personal collection of Professor Bernhard Korte, who began gathering calculating machines in the 1970s. It opened in 2002 as part of the Research Institute for Discrete Mathematics at the University of Bonn.
The collection shows how mathematics and design connect through everyday objects. Visitors can see old calculating machines, historical books, and early computer parts that reveal how people built mathematical thinking into their tools.
The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday and is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Allow enough time, as the different exhibition areas spread across the building and many objects reward a close look.
The museum holds the Schuitema collection of around 4,000 slide rules covering roughly 400 years of use. Before digital tools took over, the slide rule was the standard instrument for engineers and scientists, and this collection is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
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