When the world is upside down: A day at Technorama Winterthur

18 months ago, I visited the Technorama for the first time with my daughter. I remember how I asked myself if, with her three and a half years, she was a little too small for the Swiss Science Center Technorama – that’s the official name. But it didn’t take long and it was clear: no, she wasn’t!

A few days ago, we visited the Technorama again. This time with our five-year-old daughter, her little brother (not quite three years old yet) and a neighbor with her eight-year-old son. So, we were reassured about the age issue. Technorama itself writes on its website: «There is no reason to leave small children at home. Quite the contrary: their spontaneous curiosity makes them particularly popular visitors!»

Soap bubbles, model railroads & marble runs
Over 500 exhibits, or experiment stations, await visitors on 6500 square meters. It’s not easy to decide which sector to visit first.

Everyone thinks the air fountain with the dancing silk scarves in the patio is great, but I actually want to visit the experiment stations. The son of our neighbor sais we should start at the marble run on the second floor. Our son loves marble runs, too, but he’s noticed that Technorama also has model trains, and my daughter wants to see the big soap bubbles.

Finally, we all stay longer with the magnets in the sector «Mechanics». Here everything bounces, spins and swings. Technorama recommends it quite correctly: «Trust your gut! The rest will fall into place if you let your curiosity and the joy of experimenting and playing guide you.»

And that’s exactly what we do. We marvel at the big model railroad collection (the only section where you really only look with your eyes). At the «Tinkering Workhop», we make a mosaic out of magnets and have a (more or less successful) try at the over-dimensional soap bubbles. And we spend a lot of time at the marble run. I don’t think that I have ever seen a bunch of three to eight-year-olds that was this enthusiastic. Accompanied by earsplitting noise, obviously. However, kids don’t seem to mind.

Spinning Heads
Our daughter prefers the calm: optic illusions, mirrors and colors are more her thing. The recently revised sector «Mindscapes (Kopfwelten)» is exactly what she was looking for. There is a tilted room that plays with the feeling of gravity, and a rotating tunnel. While we hardly dare to go through the spinning tunnel or get out at the other end due to dizziness, our son runs non-stop through the tunnel. We, and the other visitors, can hardly believe our eyes. Over and over again.

Do small children perceive vertigo differently? We don’t know … but we all had fun, regardless of age.

New outdoor installation starting spring 2021
I remember that the outdoor facility was also great, and that you could experiment with water and wind. However, the park is being rebuild at the moment and will be reopened in spring 2021 as new sector “Technorama Outdoors“. The Technorama is then even more worth a visit. Regardless of the weather outside.

Easy and fast journey to Technorama
There is a direct bus from Winterthur to Technorama. Or you take the train to Oberwinterthur and walk 10 minutes. Those who chose to take the car: there are plenty of parking spaces available. Not only the journey to Technorama is uncomplicated, but so is the checkroom. There are enough lockers – even extra-large ones for families. And you can also recharge your mobile phone for free, if necessary.