MiMa is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

of mineralogy and mathematics in

Oberwolfach Oberwolfach ( gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Obberwolfä) is a town in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the site of the Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics, or Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach. Ge ...

, in the central

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

in southern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The museum was opened on 30 January 2010 on the site of the mineral museum after a two-year conversion and expansion phase. It is operated jointly by the municipality of Oberwolfach, the Oberwolfach Society of the Friends of Minerals and Mining and the Mathematics Research Institute, Oberwolfach.

Purpose

The idea is to unite the two distinct features of the region in one interactive museum: the Black Forest minerals of the Society of Friends of Minerals and Mining, Oberwolfach, the knowledge of the Mathematics Research Institute, Oberwolfach. The museum not only displays minerals from the Black Forest and insights into mathematics, but also the links between these two fields. Interactive installations help to elucidate the themes of symmetry and crystallography.

Minerals

The MiMa houses minerals and mining artefacts from the whole of the Black Forest with an emphasis on minerals from the nearby Clara Pit, using films and information. A scale model shows the interior of the interior of the mine with mining galleries and shafts down to sea level. There is information on the ores extracted and there technical usage. Other exhibits: * Exhibits from the historic silver mine of

Wenzel Wenzel is a male given name (long version Wenzeslaus) as the German and Old English form of the Czech given name Václav or Venceslav, meaning "praised with glory". Variations are Вячеслав (Ukrainian and Russian), Vencel (Hungarian), Wacła ...

in Oberwolfach, including mining lamps and tools. * Collection of agates from the Artenberg and the Haslach Mining Region and collections from the Wittich Mining Region and from lodes in the southern Black Forest, including Wieden, Schauinsland and Münstertal. * Computer system with minerals and literature databases, visitor binoculars. Display cabinet of minerals for sale from the Black Forest and other areas worldwide.

Mathematics

In the field of mathematics, the subject areas of crystallography and symmetry are explained using interactive programmes. In addition, there is a selection of exhibits from the prize-winning exhibition IMAGINARY (Land of Ideas Prize, 2009) and an installation with historical information about the Oberwolfach Mathematical Research Institute. Other exhibits: * The programme Cinderella for creating symmetrical bodies and insights into the mathematics of crystals and solid bodies. It offers 3D flights through the atomic structure of

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

fluorite Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs sca ...

and

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

. * The IMAGINARY photo gallery with algebraic surfaces and mathematical works of art from

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. * The programme Morenaments which enables interactive painting of symmetrical patterns. The Penrose Puzzle Game, a

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

puzzle game and the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

jReality with a 3D mouse for discovering mathematical objects from differential geometry.

Films and special exhibitions

In a film room, films from the world of minerals and mathematics are shown. The museum shop sells minerals and books. Special exhibitions and cultural events fill out the programme.

External links

www.mima.museum

Society of Friends of Minerals and Mining
{{Coords, 48, 18, 55.9, N, 8, 13, 9.4, E, type:landmark_dim:35_region:DE-BW, display=title Mineralogy museums History of mathematics Geology museums in Germany Science museums in Germany 2010 establishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Ortenaukreis