Hagenbucher, Architectural structure in Heilbronn, Germany

The Hagenbucher is a six-storey former oilseed warehouse built in 1936 on the Kraneninsel in Heilbronn. Its massive floors were designed to bear up to almost three tonnes per square metre, and since 2009 it has housed the experimenta science centre.

The Hagenbucher was built in 1936 as a six-storey oilseed warehouse for Carl Hagenbucher & Söhne, whose floors were designed to bear almost three tonnes per square metre. Its basement served as an air raid shelter in the Second World War, and in 1956 the other buildings on the Kraneninsel were demolished while this massive store was spared. The city acquired it in 1959, and from 1988 to spring 2008 it hosted the Neue Kunst im Hagenbucher exhibitions. Renovation began in May 2008, and the experimenta science centre opened in November 2009.

The building now functions as part of the experimenta science center, where visitors engage with interactive exhibits on a wide range of scientific topics. The site reflects how an old industrial area has transformed into a place for learning and discovery.

The Hagenbucher stands on the Kraneninsel, which visitors reach on foot; the building has been the experimenta science center since November 2009. A new elevator was installed in 1990, and the 2016 extension added further space. The former warehouse floors are massive: even the third floor was built to carry almost three tons per square meter.

The warehouse's floors were built to bear the weight of oilseeds: even on the third storey the slab could carry almost three tonnes per square metre. This massiveness is why the building survived when the other structures on the Kraneninsel were blown up in 1956 — demolition was simply too costly.