“Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll remember. Let me do it and I’ll understand.”
If you want to understand this quote attributed to Confucius, Technorama in Winterthur is the right place for you. Science is not only explained here 365 days a year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – it can be experienced. Unlike in traditional museums, Technorama doesn’t focus on long texts, but on trying things out for yourself. Visitors are part of the exhibition themselves and playfully discover the laws of nature. Sometimes their own forearm becomes a headphone, sometimes a bucket is transformed into a radio – and suddenly it becomes intuitively clear how sound propagates.
There are more than just exhibitions about sound on three floors. The anti-gravity mirror makes us seem to float weightlessly, and the laser kiosk shows us how light falls around corners – or why light plus light sometimes results in darkness. On the ground floor, visitors can then get hands-on: How do I fold paper so that it floats in a wind tunnel? How do I build a stable vehicle out of yoghurt pots? Technorama is the only science centre in Switzerland – and a place where curiosity becomes knowledge.
If you want to delve even deeper, you can also take part in workshops with your admission ticket. For example, staff will show you why aluminium foil – or even cats – have no place in the microwave. Or a staged burglary at Technorama is used to show how forensic scientists use scientific methods to quickly track down the perpetrators.
The Technorama is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets are available online and on site. Admission for adults (aged 16 and over) is CHF 34, children (aged 6 – 15) pay CHF 21. There is a CHF 3 discount for students or pupils on presentation of ID. Travelling by public transport is recommended. Book tickets here.
Photo: Technorama; Credits: Wikimedia/Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0
