Forum Wissen

Updated June 11, 2025

## Forum Wissen (Göttingen): a practical guide to the “Museum of Knowledge”

Forum Wissen is the University of Göttingen’s public “Museum of Knowledge,” built around a deceptively big question: how knowledge is created—who gets heard, what tools and routines shape research, and how ideas move from lab benches and fieldwork into public life.

Unlike many university museums that hide their best material behind departmental doors, Forum Wissen pulls from Göttingen’s collections at scale: the core exhibition alone presents 1,400+ objects across about 1,400 m².

### Quick facts you can plan around
– Address: Berliner Straße 28, 37073 Göttingen
– Opening hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (closed Mondays; open on bank-holiday Mondays)
– Admission: Free
– Time needed: plan ~90 minutes for the core exhibition
– Getting there: about 300 meters from Göttingen main station (Bahnhof/ZOB nearby)

—

## What you’ll actually see inside

### The core exhibition: “Spaces of Knowledge”
The permanent/core exhibition, “Spaces of Knowledge,” is structured like a walk through the real environments where knowledge gets made, shaped, challenged, and distributed. It explicitly asks: How is knowledge created? Who is involved? What tools and processes are used?

#### Prologue rooms: three ideas that frame the whole visit
Early on, Forum Wissen introduces three principles—Perspectives, Practices, Connections—then threads them through everything that follows.
– Perspectives pushes you to notice whose voices are centered and whose aren’t.
– Practices highlights that research is also craft: routines, skills, and hands-on work.
– Connections focuses on geopolitical contexts—how people and objects travel, and what that means.

#### The “12 Spaces of Knowledge” (the heart of the museum)
Forum Wissen’s strongest move is how it makes abstract “science” tangible by placing objects inside recognizable settings. In these spaces you’ll see items ranging from living algae and antiquities to historic surveying instruments and a centrifuge.

A few spaces that tend to land well even if you’re not a science-museum person:
– The Laboratory: experiments, measurement, and hands-on stations.
– The Field: practices of studying people, animals, and natural phenomena outside controlled environments.
– The Desk: writing, organizing, preparing research for publication—plus a walk-in desk installation.
– The Salon: debate and public negotiation of contested issues; includes a sound installation by Rimini-Protokoll inviting visitors to take a position.
– The Market: where knowledge becomes a commodity; objects collected in the app can be “traded” at a media table.
– Cabinets: how classification systems can create hierarchies—and the exhibit notes that order-making can also fuel racism.

This isn’t just “science history.” The exhibition keeps pulling you back to the uncomfortable (and useful) question: what counts as knowledge, and who gets to decide?

—

## Special exhibitions and digital add-ons
Forum Wissen runs changing special exhibitions and also hosts virtual/digital exhibitions. The museum’s own overview highlights special exhibitions as a way to connect science with current social questions.

As of the museum’s listings, one special exhibition shown is “Like magic! How our world organizes itself” (28 Aug 2025 to 1 Feb 2026).
There’s also a virtual exhibition listed: “Unpacking Colonialism”.

Because exhibition schedules change, treat these as time-sensitive and double-check the museum calendar close to your visit.

—

## How to get the most out of your visit

### Use the Forum Wissen App (especially if you like self-guided structure)
The Forum Wissen App is free (iOS/Android) and is designed to deepen the visit: audio tracks, films, and object exploration via NFC in the galleries.
It also supports accessibility features—texts in Easy Language and videos in German Sign Language are available via the app.

A particularly practical feature: the app enables “collecting” objects into a personal “knowledge box,” which you can explore further at media tables.

### Try an Audio Walk if you want a themed lens
Forum Wissen offers Audio Walks (via the app or a loaner device/headphones at the info desk) that focus on specific themes. The topics listed include:
– Science under National Socialism
– Science and colonialism
– Heroines in science
– Gender and science
– The Moon Committee (children’s tour, age 9+)

### Families: Mini-Mathematikum + question card sets
For younger kids (roughly ages 3–8), the museum points to the Mini-Mathematikum as a strong match.
There are also free card sets with questions for families and young people available at the info desk.

—

## Accessibility and inclusivity notes

Forum Wissen states a clear accessibility aim—broad participation in culture and science—and backs it with concrete building features:
– Step-free access across floors via lifts/elevators
– Elevators with tactile writing and announcements
– Accessible toilets near the cloakroom area
– Assistance dogs welcome (other animals generally not allowed)
– An inclusive audio tour for visually impaired and blind visitors, with audio-descriptive content (note: no tactile guidance system)

—

## Tours, languages, and on-site support

If you want a human layer to the visit, Forum Wissen leans heavily on trained student communicators:
– Staff/communicators are present in exhibition rooms and can be approached for questions.
– Public guided tours are listed as German Saturdays 15:00 and Sundays 11:00, with additional tours in other languages depending on dates.
– Exhibition texts are German + English, and the app adds Easy Language and German Sign Language.
– The museum notes tours in German/English and also lists additional languages available via communicators (Spanish, Turkish, Farsi, Russian, Mandarin) for certain tours—best arranged via the info desk.

—

## Practical logistics that save you friction

### Bags, food, and photography
– Eating/drinking isn’t allowed in exhibition rooms; you can buy snacks/drinks and use benches near lockers for your own refreshments.
– The University of Göttingen site notes bags/backpacks are not permitted in exhibition spaces and can be stored at the cloakroom. of Göttingen
– For photography/filming rules, the museum routes visitors to specific guidelines.

### Café + shop (and when they’re open)
– Shop: Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00
– Café: Wed–Sun 11:00–17:00

### Parking and arrival
Forum Wissen is optimized for arriving by train/bus:
– It’s ~300 m from the station.
– Bicycle parking is available out front, and disabled parking spaces are noted on the north side (toward the bus station).
– The museum states its carpark is under construction and recommends using city parking; it lists nearby garages like Parkhaus Groner Tor and Parkhaus Bahnhof P2 with walking times.

—

## Suggested internal links for RealJourneyTravels (contextual, if you have these pages)
(These are internal-link placements you can add if the pages exist in your site structure—use your actual URLs.)
– Anchor: “Best things to do in Göttingen (walkable itinerary + cafés near the station)”
Suggested URL pattern: /germany/gottingen/things-to-do/
– Anchor: “Germany museum visits: practical etiquette, accessibility, and family planning”
Suggested URL pattern: /germany/museums/

—

## Outdated/conflicting info to be aware of
Forum Wissen’s English homepage lists New Year’s Day as “01.01.2025 – closed,” while the German “Service & Info” page lists 01.01.26 as closed. This looks like a date typo on the English page—verify holiday openings on the museum site close to your travel date.

Key Highlights

Forum Wissen

Location

Places to Stay Near Forum Wissen"Museum for scientific and historical things."

Find and Book a Tour

Explore More Travel Guides