CosmoCaixa Barcelona
Encyclopedia
CosmoCaixa Barcelona (ˌkɔzmuˈkaʃə βərsəˈɫonə) is a science museum
located in Barcelona
, Spain
. Formerly known as the Science Museum of Barcelona, it closed for renovations in 1998 and reopened in 2004 under its current name. The museum features a variety of exhibitions, permanent and temporary, that showcase the environment, nature, science, and space. CosmoCaixa also has a planetarium
and exhibitions devoted to interaction such as touch and play
for small children. It also has a bookstore, gift shop, library, teaching center and cafe. The museum is sponsored by la Caixa
.
to serve as an asylum for the blind which closed in 1979. The building was renovated, retaining the original facade
, and an expansion took place bringing the building to four times its original size. An expansion of the building took place in 2004. CosmoCaixa has a large spiral walkway that takes visitors from the basement to the 5th floor. The centerpiece of the walkway is an Amazonian tree.
and has a free public square
that allows the public to experience natural science through interactive exhibitions.
Flooded Forest
A flooded forest which allows visitors to experience wet and dry environs of an Amazon rainforest
. Ceiba
trees are reproduced based on molds created by museum staff in Pará
, Brazil
. More than 100 living species are represented including birds, insects, frogs, piranhas
, capybaras, and alligators.
Geological Wall
Large cuts of geological formations are displayed along a wall showing erosion
, volcanism
, faults, sedimentation
and related processes. The cuts of rock on display are primarily from Catalonia including potassium salt from Súria
, sandstone
from Berga
and Mallorca
, volcanic materials from Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, and limestone
from Besalú
.
The Hall of Matter
The Hall of Matter covers evolution
starting with the Big Bang Theory. It is broken into four sections: the origin of matter
, the first living organism
, the conquest of "symbolic intelligence", and the birth of civilization. The exhibit touches on gravitational wave
, chaos theory
, biology
, mobility
, neuron
s, intelligence
and human evolution
.
Clik and Flash
One of three interactive based exhibitions for young children, Clik and Flash uses games to encourage children to learn about science. The space is split into two rooms; Clik uses play, observation and deduction through smell
, touch and sight
and Flash uses technology to showcase exploration, environments, construction and electricity.
Touch, touch!
Touch, touch! houses living creatures from around the world and the Mediterranean. Museum staff and scientists present animals and plants from three environments.
Bubble Planetarium
An astronomy
based exhibition for children ages 3–8.
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
located in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Formerly known as the Science Museum of Barcelona, it closed for renovations in 1998 and reopened in 2004 under its current name. The museum features a variety of exhibitions, permanent and temporary, that showcase the environment, nature, science, and space. CosmoCaixa also has a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
and exhibitions devoted to interaction such as touch and play
Play (activity)
Play is a term employed in ethology and psychology to describe to a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment...
for small children. It also has a bookstore, gift shop, library, teaching center and cafe. The museum is sponsored by la Caixa
La Caixa
La Caixa , formally Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona , is currently Europe’s leading savings bank and Spain's third largest financial institution, with a network of over 5,500 branches, more than 8,100 ATMs, a workforce in excess of 27,000 and more than 10.7 million...
.
Building
The building was built between 1904-1909 by Josep Domènech i EstapàJosep Domènech i Estapà
Josep Domènech i Estapà was a Catalan architect.He graduated in 1881, and became professor of geodesy and descriptive geometry at the University of Barcelona, and member of the Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts , of which he subsequently became president.His works in Barcelona include the church of...
to serve as an asylum for the blind which closed in 1979. The building was renovated, retaining the original facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, and an expansion took place bringing the building to four times its original size. An expansion of the building took place in 2004. CosmoCaixa has a large spiral walkway that takes visitors from the basement to the 5th floor. The centerpiece of the walkway is an Amazonian tree.
Exhibitions
CosmoCaixa has permanent and temporary exhibitions. It also houses a planetariumPlanetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
and has a free public square
Public Square
Public Square is the central plaza in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It takes up four city blocks; Superior Avenue and Ontario Street cross through it. Cleveland's three tallest buildings, Key Tower, 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower, face the square...
that allows the public to experience natural science through interactive exhibitions.
Flooded Forest
A flooded forest which allows visitors to experience wet and dry environs of an Amazon rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. Ceiba
Ceiba
Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Mexico, Central America, South America, The Bahamas, Belize and the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia...
trees are reproduced based on molds created by museum staff in Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. More than 100 living species are represented including birds, insects, frogs, piranhas
Piranhas
Piranhas is a historic city and municipality in the western of the State of Alagoas, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Located on the bank of the São Francisco River, just at the border with the State of Sergipe, Piranhas was founded in 1891 and originally named Floriano Peixoto...
, capybaras, and alligators.
Geological Wall
Large cuts of geological formations are displayed along a wall showing erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, volcanism
Volcanism
Volcanism is the phenomenon connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It includes all phenomena resulting from and causing magma within the crust or mantle of a planet to rise through the crust and form volcanic rocks on the surface....
, faults, sedimentation
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
and related processes. The cuts of rock on display are primarily from Catalonia including potassium salt from Súria
Súria
Súria is a municipality in the comarca of the Bages in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the valley of the Cardener river between Manresa and Cardona....
, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
from Berga
Berga
Berga is the capital of the comarca of Berguedà, in Catalonia, Spain.- History :Berga derives its name from the Bergistani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area before the Roman conquest. The Bergistani were first subdued by Hannibal in 218 BC...
and Mallorca
Mallorca
Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
, volcanic materials from Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from Besalú
Besalú
Besalú is a town in the comarca of Garrotxa, in Catalonia, Spain.The town's importance was greater in the early Middle Ages, as capital of the county of Besalú, whose territory was roughly the same size as the current comarca of Garrotxa but sometime extended as far as Corbières, Aude, in France....
.
The Hall of Matter
The Hall of Matter covers evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
starting with the Big Bang Theory. It is broken into four sections: the origin of matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
, the first living organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
, the conquest of "symbolic intelligence", and the birth of civilization. The exhibit touches on gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
, chaos theory
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, mobility
Mobility
Mobility may refer to:* Mobility * "Mobiliy" , a song by Moby* Mobility * Mobility , the ability of military units or weapon systems to move to an objective-See also:* Academic mobility* Apprentices mobility...
, neuron
Neuron
A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...
s, intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
and human evolution
Human evolution
Human evolution refers to the evolutionary history of the genus Homo, including the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species and as a unique category of hominids and mammals...
.
Clik and Flash
One of three interactive based exhibitions for young children, Clik and Flash uses games to encourage children to learn about science. The space is split into two rooms; Clik uses play, observation and deduction through smell
Smell
Smell may refer to:* Olfaction, sense of smell, the ability of humans and other animals to perceive odors* Odor, the percept resultant from the sense of smell...
, touch and sight
Sight
Sight may refer to:*Visual perception*Sight , used to assist aim by guiding the eye*Sight , a 2005 concert DVD by Keller Williams*Sight , a first-person shooter video game created by FPS Creator...
and Flash uses technology to showcase exploration, environments, construction and electricity.
Touch, touch!
Touch, touch! houses living creatures from around the world and the Mediterranean. Museum staff and scientists present animals and plants from three environments.
Bubble Planetarium
An astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
based exhibition for children ages 3–8.