Phänomenta Lüdenscheid, Science museum in Lüdenscheid, Germany.
Phänomenta is a science center in Lüdenscheid, housed in the former Ernst-Grüber factory and expanded with a new building and a 75-metre tower opened in 2015. There is no collection behind glass and no long labels: visitors touch the interactive exhibits, which pose questions without giving the answer, and the tower holds Europe's largest walkable kaleidoscope.
In the 1990s a team of teachers, engineers, architects and educators founded an association and toured six exhibits, shown in the city library and elsewhere. In 1996 the association rented floors of the former Ernst-Grüber factory and opened the first science center in North Rhine-Westphalia. A 2000 foundation took over the site, and a 2015 new building added a 75-metre tower.
The name Phänomenta comes from the Flensburg centre that inspired it, itself modelled on hands-on learning ideas of Hugo Kükelhaus. A citizens' association of teachers, engineers, architects and educators founded the Lüdenscheid site, and volunteers and teachers ran the first exhibition in the former Ernst-Grüber factory.
The exhibits are accessible to both children and adults, allowing everyone to learn and explore at their own pace. The building is straightforward to navigate, with different areas on multiple floors that let visitors plan their route flexibly.
The 75-metre tower opened on 8 May 2015 and holds the largest walk-in kaleidoscope in Europe; it also carries a Foucault pendulum and has become a landmark of Lüdenscheid. A footbridge links it directly to the station grounds.
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