- Million project German Optical Museum launched
With the German Optical Museum, one of the largest current museum projects in Thuringia has begun after years of preparation. A foundation was established for the project of an interactive experience world. 56.7 million euros are to flow into the museum - money from the state of Thuringia, the federal government, the city, the optics and electronics company Carl Zeiss, foundations, and other supporters. Alone the state is contributing a grant of around 30 million euros, said Science Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD) at the symbolic first groundbreaking ceremony in the university city.
Opening planned for 2027
The museum is to be renovated in the historical optics school and supplemented by an extension whose facade plays with optical effects. According to founding director Timo Mappes, there is currently no museum in Germany that is exclusively dedicated to optics. The opening in Jena is scheduled for 2027.
Jena is also internationally recognized as a center of the optical industry and optics research. The tradition goes back to the beginning of the 19th century. "Optics is inconceivable without Jena and Jena without optics," said Tiefensee. "Here and nowhere else lie the roots of this technology, which still makes up a significant part of the economic and scientific strength of the entire region."
Hope for more than 100,000 visitors per year
Jena has an impressive collection, including glasses, microscopes, cameras, telescopes and planetariums, as well as glass samples, graphics, paintings, and books. The collections will be completely redesigned and continuously expanded.
Mappes expects significantly more than 100,000 visitors per year after completion - offering education and entertainment. Tiefensee hopes that tech enthusiasts from all over the world will be drawn to Jena.
In the past, Jena only had a rather locally oriented optics museum with around 800 square meters of exhibition space. The new museum is to offer around 3,000 square meters. Visitors will be able to conduct experiments, interactive showcases and multimedia tables will be set up, and historical films and clips on current optics research will be shown.
The scientific community is eagerly anticipating the opening of the new interactive experience world, which will be entirely focused on optics, as declared by the founding director, Timo Mappes. The scientific significance of Jena in the field of optics is further highlighted by the fact that it will house the largest current museum project in Thuringia, funded by various sources including the state, federal government, and Carl Zeiss.
