Located on the Artisplein in the center of Amsterdam, ARTIS-Micropia is the world's only museum dedicated to microbes. An exciting place to visit with the whole family. Did you know that every human being carries around 1.5 kilograms of microbes? That's just one of the things you'll learn when you step inside the Ledenlokalen, a historic building dating back to 1870 and now owned by Artis. Interactive and full of pleasant surprises, ARTIS-Micropia is both an educational and entertaining museum. It's one of the places you should definitely visit on a family trip to the Dutch capital. Here are 5 reasons why you should visit this unique museum.
1. Discover a museum with an original theme
Going to a museum to see works of art or learn more about the history of a town or region is quite common. It's much more original to visit a place dedicated to microbes! While we tend to associate them with disease, it's always very interesting to learn that micro-organisms, which are impossible to see with the naked eye, are in fact present everywhere- in our homes, on our objects, in the street, in our food and even inside our bodies. ARTIS-Micropia is a museum in Amsterdam that invites us to discover the secrets of this invisible life, without which we simply couldn't survive!
2. An interactive museum for the whole family
ARTIS-Micropia introduces us to a world of science. The museum takes us on a journey into another world, invisible but very much present: that of micro-organisms! It's an interactive place where you can scan your body to find out how many and what kind of microbes each part contains. Videos show us the micro-organisms present on objects we use every day, such as cell phones. A space where microscopes and large magnifying glasses are available to observe the microbes found on objects in the home, on plants and even on animals. An opportunity to marvel at their numbers, shapes and movements.
The content of ARTIS-Micropia is educational. It's always surprising to learn that, far from the clichés surrounding disease, microbes also have a role to play in protecting us and our natural environment.
3. Take a tour of the laboratory
At the ARTIS-Micropia museum, professionals await visitors in the laboratory to help them unravel the secrets of the lives of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Different themes, such as microbes in the sea, and different microbes, such as the recently discovered Brachionus plicatilis, are presented. In the "lab talks", families have a unique opportunity to find out more about how long microbes live, what they do, what they feed on and who eats them in turn. Be sure to check out the program on the ARTIS-Micropia website before a family visit.
4. Passing through the "kissometer
For parents, a visit to ARTIS-Micropia must include a visit to the kissometer! They'll surely be surprised to learn, via the summary available on the screen, that kissing is also an exchange of microbes between partners, with an average of up to 80 million bacteria exchanged during a 10-second French kiss. They also learn that the more kisses partners exchange during their married life, the more similar the varieties of bacteria present in each other's saliva. Another not-to-be-missed activity at ARTIS-Micropia.
5. Combine a visit to ARTIS-Micropia with one of the Artisplein's other highlights
On the Artisplein, in the heart ofAmsterdam, a visit to ARTIS-Micropia can be combined with a stroll through the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo to discover over 700 species living in environments that reproduce their natural habitat as closely as possible. Elephants, jaguars, giraffes, monkeys and birds... the zoo also boasts magnificent flower gardens. You can continue your stroll with a visit to the ARTIS-Groote Museum, dedicated to the links between humans and all other forms of life on earth.
