It seems like it was only yesterday that the VIZIUM Science Centre was inaugurated, as the first half of the year has flown nearly at the speed of light. VIZIUM has already attracted more than 100 000 visitors, which include both locals and guests from across Latvia and abroad who had the opportunity to enjoy and gain a deeper insight into science and the world of technology.
18 December marks the day when, six months ago, the new VIZIUM Science Centre in Ventspils opened its doors to its first visitors, surprising them with a large-scale programme of events. During the inaugural celebration, the visitors had the opportunity not only to see and try out the exhibits, but also to participate in a wide range of activities.
Immediately after the inauguration, the VIZIUM Science Centre held its first VIZIUM summer camp “TehnoEKO”, which included a great variety of activities, such as technology workshops, outdoor activities at various objects of interest, and activities in the exhibition hall and lab. More than 250 students attended the camp.
The new facility has awakened the curiosity of many people – during the first 2 months of operation, the number of visitors had already reached more than 50 000 people, whereas in the early November, VIZIUM welcomed its 100 000th visitor. The visitors include not only Latvian residents, but also visitors from more than 30 countries, e.g., Ukraine, Germany, the USA, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Finland, France, and even China and India.
Students from all over Latvia have also shown great interest in the new science centre. Since the beginning of the field trip season and up until this moment, nearly more than 600 school groups, which account for nearly 17 000 students, have visited the VIZIUM exposition hall, creative workshops, and science shows. Apart from the expositions and science shows, the students have also actively participated in the creative technical workshop of VIZIUM and 7 audio-visual workshops within the programme “Latvian School Bag”.
Residents, various organisations, municipalities, and enterprises have also shown interest in the process of constructing the building of the science centre and creating the exposition, as well as various details, which are not visible when visiting the exhibition hall on a daily basis. Therefore, we offer an informative tour through the building of VIZIUM. Worth mentioning is the fact that more than 140 groups have taken up this opportunity so far.
VIZIUM offers a wide range of activities and thematic events for children and families on a regular basis, so that even those who have already visited the exposition hall would return to the science centre for another visit. It was in the spring, during the Terrace Celebration, that the locals had the opportunity to step on the terrace and viewing platform of VIZIUM for the very first time. Afterwards, various events have taken place there, including the celebration of the Father’s Day, the Senior Citizen’s Day, the Researchers’ Night, the Halloween week, national holidays, and Advent workshops. As for the youngest city residents, the science centre has organised activities for the young researchers every Saturday and Sunday, under the supervision of VIZIUM educators.
The impressive building of the science centre has not gone unnoticed. In March of this year, VIZIUM ranked first in the contest “Latvian Construction Awards 2021”, in the category “BEST PUBLIC BUILDING – NEW BUILDING”. In September, it ranked first in the Latvian Construction Engineers Union’s contest “The Most Energy-Efficient Building in Latvia 2022”, in the category “The Most Energy-Efficient Public Building in Latvia 2022”.
The goal of VIZIUM is to show that science can be fun and interesting, while the entertainment can also provide a lot of knowledge. The exhibits on display at the science centre will educate the visitors on the STEM field in an entertaining way, thus allowing them to have a better understanding of the courses to be acquired at school and encouraging young people to focus their future career on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The science centre offers more than 80 exhibits and simulators in 7 different technology and science galleries that will not only awaken your curiosity and encourage you to learn more about STEM, but also have fun and enjoy your time together with friends and family.
