Arithmeum — Attraction in Bonn

Very unique museum displaying thousands of calculating machines!

The self-guided tour starts on the top floor with exploration of abacus and other mathematical instruments of ancient times and continues all the way to the ground floor where current technology such as computers and microchips can be found. It is very interactive museum, so visitors can touch, try and play with many of museums items and machines and learn how our ancestors used these instruments to calculate in daily life - that is also a reason why visitors get to wear white gloves at the beginning of the visit so they can freely touch the machines and have truly hand-on experience.

All necessary explanations were available next to the exhibits and/or in the English leaflets at the beginning of each section. Some of the calculations on the old machines and cogwheels were not easy to comprehend, therefore you need to be prepared to spend some time at the museum if you want to figure out how it works (we spent over two hours in the museum). There is unfortunately no audio/video guide for visitors to learn from, but the staff is available to explain if needed. At the ground floor that is dedicated to the modern 19th, 20th and 21st century, ''calculator wall'' can be found and many interactive and interesting games to play.

The whole museum is also a large art gallery (not by an accident) and many modern types of painting can be admired on the corridors and in the rooms. Very colorful and intriguing indeed - creating a beautiful atmosphere of connection between art and science.

The museum was pretty much empty on Sunday afternoon, therefore we had plenty of time to explore all the machines and calculators without waiting. Definitely an amazing place to have fun and learn something new at the same time! One of the most inspiring museums!

Entry fee was very cheap, only 3 EUR (cash payments possible only) and we had to lock our backpacks in the locker room (the lockers were however narrow so we had to squeeze our belongings to fit them in). Face masks were still mandatory during our visit...

This nice museum covers the history of counting technology and calculators from about -5000 B.C. until about 1980. Exhibits starting with simple pebbles and abacus devices, through more sophisticated calculators such as Napier Bars, more complex mechanical calculators and through to the modern IBM computers. Some complex mechanical calculators require hours of study to understand the exact operation. Older guys will remember the motorized calculators of the 1960's that are not very different from their 17th century predecessors only with motors rather than handles. One conclusion is that the progress during the last 50 years overshadows the previous 5000 years - exponential explosion of technology. What I missed mostly were: an Enigma Machine exhibit, a modern laptop & smartphone (and a not so modern Casio scientific calculator & HP handheld), a more in depth explanation of the mathematical basis for some exhibits (especially the Napier Bars) and basic explanation of Bulean Math which is the basis for modern electronic computers. An indication of future trends could be very interesting too. The exhibits are having explanations in both English and German languages but few are not having...

Having studied computer science and having always been interested in algorithms and computing devices, I was very much looking forward to seeing this specialized museum while in Bonn. However, I was vastly disappointed.

Already looking in from the outside (big glass front) , one could clearly see that the museum is aimed 99% at school classes, which overcrowded even the street in front waiting for the (extremely late) opening time of 11:00, which was not even kept. It was clear that an interested visitor would have very little opportunity to actually look in depth at the exhibitions while - obviously largely uninterested - school kids were forced by their teachers to overcrowd the facility.

However, I kept waiting until, some time after 11, the museum did actually open. Then I learned that the museum arbitrarily demanded face masks and gloves to be worn during the entire visit, although all mandatory Covid measures (which had been more than paranoid and prolonged in Germany already) had long been lifted for museums.

A total disappontment, definitely not...