Program in the BIOTOPIA Lab

As an interim platform, the BIOTOPIA Lab offers a glimpse of the BIOTOPIA concept in the period between the closure of the Museum Mensch und Natur and the opening of the new museum.

It is a dynamic experimental and exhibition space at the intersection of science, art, design and the general public. As an event venue and hands-on workshop, it also provides insight into the development process of the new museum.

With workshops, raised beds, an experimental working space, changing mystery objects and Pop-Up exhibitions as well as interdisciplinary events, it arouses curiosity about the topics of BIOTOPIA and provides information about the current status of the project. You can also fly over Bavaria, or the Jurassic with the interactive VR flight simulator Birdly!

More about the current program and insights behind the scenes of the BIOTOPIA laboratory on our social media channels!


VR flight simulator Birdly

Fly like a bird!

With our virtual reality flight simulator "Birdly" you can fly over the most beautiful landscapes of Bavaria as an eagle, discover the Jurassic period as a pterosaur or swim through a coral reef as a sea turtle.

Birdly can be experienced during opening hours depending on availability. If demand is high, you may have to wait a bit. Use this time to explore other areas of the BIOTOPIA Lab!

In order to fly with Birdly, the "wingspan" (fingertip to fingertip or body height) must be at least 1.20 m.

Adventures

At the BIOTOPIA Lab, you can currently experience three different exciting adventures on our VR Birdly simulator. Only one program is offered per weekend. You can find out when which offer is valid below in our program plan.

What is it about?

In "Reef Dive" you swim as a sea turtle through a coral reef and can discover the different creatures there. In some places of the reef, the destruction by humans becomes clear and you learn what happens when we mistreat the environment.

What is it about?

Are you ready for a journey through time? "Jurassic Flight" is not just for dino nerds! Glide as a pterosaur through the Jurassic Age, passing giant long-necked dinosaurs, experience dangerous prehistoric predators on the hunt and discover the plant life of that time.

What is it about?

You always wanted to know what it's like to soar over the peaks of the Alps as an eagle? In our Berchtesgaden-Experience you can experience exactly that! Fly over mountains, over the Königssee and explore the landscape of the Berchtesgadener Land from a completely new perspective!


Normal opening hours

(On holidays and during school holidays in some cases there are extended working hours)

Access to the Biotopia Lab is through the main entrance to the Munich Botanical Garden. Information about admission prices can be found on the website of the Botanical Garden.

For booked workshops you will be picked up at the entrance of the botanical garden.

Friday:                                      13:00 - 17:00

Saturday & Sunday:            10:00 - 17:00

The open hands-on program will initially take place only on weekends and holidays. During school holidays there can be an extended program.


Schedule of workshops in Ukrainian for February 2024

Participation is free of charge

Tuesday, February 6

15.00 Find the dinosaur

Wednesday,
February 7

15.00 In search of a dragon

Tuesday, February 13

14.20 Who eats what?
15.40 The way home

Wednesday,
February 14

14.20 Flight, is it really that difficult?
15.40 Gills or lungs?

Tuesday, February 20

15.00 Secret life of underground inhabitants

Wednesday,
February 21

15.00 Excursion to the Botanical garden

Tuesday,
February 27

15.00 Excursion to the Botanical garden

Wednesday,
February 28

15.00 Excursion to the Museum Mensch und Natur


Registration for the workshop (number of participants is limited)

If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please send us an email with any text to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and you will receive an automatic reply with registration forms.


What is on someone's teeth

You are what you eat

During the event, participants will be able to explore the collection of skulls of different species of mammals. They learn interesting things about the feeding strategies of these animals. They will learn to determine what is common to humans and other mammals, and what is different. Participants will create their own model of a mammalian jaw.

Recommended from about 4 years old

Who lives in the pond?

Do I really see what I see? The calm surface of the water can hold extraordinary secrets.teries

We are surrounded by diverse ecosystems. The pond is one of them. Not only large plants and animals live here. We will see the microscopic world of the pond. During the workshop, participants will try themselves as real environmental researchers!

Recommended from about 7 years old

The code of life

Isolate fruit DNA

During the event, participants will conduct their own research and isolate from the fruits of plants the carrier of heredity - DNA. They will also be able to try themselves as pioneers of the spatial structure of the DNA molecule – Franklin, Crick and Watson – and create their own model, which they will take with them in memory of the event.

Recommended from 10 years old


The inner life of plants

Why do plants look the way we see them?

Plants are so diverse and interesting! Why do water lilies not sink in water? Why can a cactus withstand a long drought? The secret is in the internal structure! During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to make their own microscopic slides, look at them and take pictures under a microscope.

Recommended from 10 years

Dinosaurs among us

Are dinosaurs really extinct?

In this workshop, participants will learn that birds are not just relatives of dinosaurs but are themselves real dinosaurs that live and fly next to us. They will also study the anatomy of birds and see in the structure of the bird traces of terrible predators and giant herbivorous dinosaurs of the Mesozoic.

Recommended from 5 years old

Leaf and Stick insects: the art of hiding

Help stick insect to hide in unusual places!

At this workshop the participants will be able to learn interesting facts about the life of leaf and stick insects that live in our lab and get to know them better. Participants also could create a picture of an insect that hides not only among the usual branches or leaves, but also unexpected things, to understand how the cryptic colouring works.

Recommended from 6 years


Fascinating world of mosses

Immerse yourself in the world of predators and herbivores smaller than one millimeter

In this workshop, participants will collect pieces of mosses in the botanical garden and examine them under a microscope. Participants will also be able to learn about microscopic animals that can withstand boiling and the conditions of the outer space.

We will also paint the moss ecosystem with various animals that inhabit it.

Recommended from 6 years

Autumn twig

Trees are with leaves in the summer and without in the winter. Interesting! And why is the Christmas tree not like that?

At the workshop, we will give answers to the questions: why does autumn come, why do leaves turn yellow, where do most animals disappear. We'll make a model of an autumn twig.

Recommended from 5 years

A game of hide and seek

Who did not hide?

It seems that there are no animals in the winter forest. But look carefully! Scattered footprints on the white snow! Who lives here? At the workshop, we will learn to recognize animals by their tracks.

Recommended from 8 years


Dangerous organisms

Don't touch me, I am toxic!

In this workshop, we will talk about poisonous organisms: animals, plants, mushrooms. How to spot danger? What to do if the meeting did not go according to plan?
During the workshop, participants will also be able to make a model of a dangerous animals.

Recommended from 6 years

A colorful world

Yellow, red, blue, green...

The world is colorful, so incomprehensible! Why is the surrounding world so colorful? Because living organisms contain various dyes! During the workshop, we will look at some common plant dyes. With some interesting experiments, we will see how they can be used in everyday life.

Recommended from 6 years

How do animals see?

Do I really see what I see?

The world around us is amazing, filled with different shapes and colors. But is everything really like that? Perhaps this is just an illusion created by our brain. Let's find out whether the animal world is colorful and talk about illusions of perception. And how do animals see the world? Come, let's sort things out!


Fungi + algae =?

Interaction generates new!

Lichens are extraordinary organisms whose body consists of fungi and algae. They are human assistants: they determine air quality. Some of them are even edible. Let's understand!

The secret life of fungi

Fungi: helpers or destroyers?

Fungi are mysterious creatures, their secret life does not often fall into our field of vision. Nevertheless, they play a significant role in the existence of our planet. And what is the importance of fungi in human life? Let's find out!


We would like to thank the BayWa Foundation, which makes the planning, creation and operation of the Biotopia Lab possible, by generously funding it.






Naturkundemuseum Bayern
Botanisches Institut
Menzinger Str. 67
80638 München, Germany

BIOTOPIA Lab:

Phone: +49 (0)89 178 61-411
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Pressekontakt:

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Sonstige Anfragen:

Phone: +49 (0)89 178 61-422
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© Naturkundemuseum Bayern

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