Klimahaus Bremerhaven: Extreme Weather Experience

(eap) Visitors to Germany’s Klimahaus Bremerhaven can now discover the new permanent exhibition “Weather Extremes”, which offers a multimedia experience covering three levels and a total of 1,485 square meters, focusing on heat, storms and floods. While the first part of the exhibition is about the weather in general, there’s also a ride up on the “Uplift” immersing into extreme weather events. Witness reports and comments from scientists complete the edutainment offer. “With this exhibition, we are adding a captivating, scientifically based dimension to the visitor experience,” explains Ingrid Hayen, Managing Director of Klimahaus Bremerhaven.

© Katitza Tiszay

The start of the exhibition invites visitors to join in: In the green screen studio, guests can slip into the role of weather presenters. They can experience the dynamics of a tornado or explore clouds hands-on… Afterwards, a prologue film sets the mood for the extreme weather ride in the “Uplift” – a platform with space for up to 40 people that rises eight meters into the air – right into the middle of extreme weather events such as heat and fire, heavy rain and floods, wind and hurricanes. A 360-degree staging with sound and special effects such as fog, smoke, water and wind immerse visitors in the theme. Background information is provided by German actress Tatja Seibt as narrator. Three rides on the “Uplift” are offered per hour. After the ride, visitors enter the third floor, where they discover the stories of twelve eyewitnesses. These revolve around their real-life experiences with extreme weather events. For example, a police diver from the Ahr valley (Germany) talks about the 2021 flood disaster, a Spanish entrepreneur explains how the climate crisis is changing agriculture and a young woman from Bangladesh relates  how she survived a cyclone.

© Doerte Behrmann

A total of 14.6 million euros was invested in the Wetterextreme exhibition, as the Klimahaus states. The new permanent exhibition has been planned since 2019. studio klv came up with the concept for the exhibition, while Sarner/Moonraker was responsible for implementing the show with film, sound, special effects and show lighting. Studio Hamburg was responsible for the set construction and MKTe for the kinetic elements. ■