Free admission to natural science museums in Aarhus

Aarhus University's historical collection has been transferred to the Science Museums. The museums mark this by giving all employees and students at Aarhus University free admission to the Steno Museum. This also applies to daily shows and guided tours in the planetarium during the summer holidays. Admission to the Greenhouses is already free for all visitors.

[Translate to English:] Science Museerne giver gratis adgang til alle ansatte og studerende ved AU. Foto: Søren Kjeldgaard, AU Foto

2 July 2020 by Trine Bjerre Mikkelsen

When the school summer holidays kick off on Saturday 27 June, admission to the Science Museums will be free for all AU employees and students. This is to celebrate that Aarhus University’s historical collection has been transferred to the Science Museums, and to mark that the Science Museums are part of Aarhus University.

"It's important for us to constantly stress that our museums belong to the university,” says Bent Lorenzen, director of the Science Museums. "It’s very important to us that both researchers and students incorporate us in communication activities, collaboration and as a place to bring family and friends in their spare time. It’s also important that the public sees that science communication at Aarhus University has many platforms and is multifaceted."

So far, all employees and students at Natural Sciences and Health have had free admission to the Steno Museum, but now this will include all employees and students at Aarhus University.

"The history of medicine, botany, astronomy and the history of science are the natural sciences on which the museums are based," says Bent Lorenzen. "But students or researchers from Arts, for example, can also be involved in the development of our exhibitions. We would very much like to work across disciplines, and to show the public that science is an exciting dynamic area that involves many disciplines and aspects of life. We want to stress this with the free admission."

Bent Lorenzen is also very pleased that the Science Museums have taken over the university’s historical collection. It includes objects, images and various texts from Aarhus University's “culture and everyday history” going back to 1928 when the university was established.

"It's a very valuable collection that fits in well with our collection strategy and our desire to strengthen cohesion with Aarhus university," he says. "So now we hope that a lot of students and staff will use the opportunity to visit the museums for free."

Facts

The Science Museums are part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Aarhus University. The Science Museums include the Steno Museum and the Herbarium in the University Park, the Greenhouses in the Botanical Gardens and the Ole Rømer Observatory in Højbjerg.