In late 2023, Dennis had the idea to visit Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia for its Christmas Market. A good idea. We chose Bonn over Cologne or Aachen, as Cologne’s – and Aachen’s – Weihnachtsmarkt is a mass tourism event. Even if Bonn used to be the capital of the German Federal Republic when it was known as West Germany and at the start of a reunited Germany, the city is quite small. And, so we expect, the Christmas Market more cosy and with a higher ratio of local people.
Marketed as Museummeile Bonn or Bonn Museum Mile, “The Bonn Museum Mile is one of the largest museum associations in Europe“, the association says.
“Their five houses are in close proximity to each other and are easy to reach. The museums present outstanding exhibitions on topics from natural science, technology, art and contemporary and cultural history. Each house makes its distinctive contribution to a unique overall Museum Mile experience.”
Those museums are:
- Museum Koenig Bonn.
- Haus der Geschichte or House of History.
- Kunstmuseum Bonn or Bonn Art Museum.
- Bundeskunsthalle or Federal Art Gallery.
- Deutsches Museum Bonn or German Museum Bonn.
We went for Deutsches Museum Bonn, as both Dennis and I visited the main campuses of the museum in Munich.
Mission AI
“With our ‘Mission AI‘ we invite you to discover the ongoing transformation of the Deutsches Museum Bonn to a forum for artificial intelligence.
On mornings from Tuesdays to Fridays, the museum is popular with school groups. If you would like to experience ‘Mission AI’ in peace and quiet, it is preferable to use the afternoon”, the website says.
We went on Sunday morning and we started practically alone. Near the end, there were some more people.
Deutsches Museum Bonn is located in an office complex. The entry hall features a ticket office, a clock room and a vending machine rather than a cafeteria.
The exhibition
Spread over two floors, the ‘Mission AI’ exhibition showcases the how and why of artificial intelligence. Many displays are interactive ask for action. Unfortunately, not everything is bilingual German and English. But there are many staff members to help.
‘Mission AI’ is very much geared towards children and teens. Which is fine as such. But it meant we we done quite quickly.
So?
Deutsches Museum Bonn is small and has little in common with the Deutsches Museum campuses in Munich. The exhibition is nicely done, but we felt underwhelmed.
So, depending on what you’re looking for, (don’t) skip this museum.
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