Walheimat Göttingen
Above the café in the Atrium of the Forum Wissen, a 17-meter-long sperm whale skeleton has been hanging above the café since 2023. An exhibit between wonder and awe, about which there is much to learn.
A long journey
Our sperm whale swam thousands of kilometers through the oceans until it stranded on the coast off St. Peter-Ording in 1998.
Learn more about the journey it has made since then and how it came to be in the Forum Wissen today.
The sperm whale skeleton
Assembling the sperm whale skeleton was a great challenge for all people involved. You can watch the whole elaborate process in one minute - a time-lapse video.
The new and the old home
Even before the renovation and reconstruction of Berliner Straße 28, the sperm whale skeleton was at home in the building. It has now moved back into the Forum Wissen - and we accompanied this process with the camera.
«The whales do not sing because they have an answer, they sing because they have a song.»
Gregory Colbert
‘Mal den Wal’ Painting competition
Before the official opening of the whale skeleton, we, Forum Wissen and Alumni Göttingen called for people to paint the Göttingen whale.
We received over 500 entries from participants ranging from kindergarten age to adults. Here you can get an impression.
Whale biology
What do these giant marine mammals feed on and what is blubber?
Learn more about whales in general and of course especially about the sperm whale.
Painting by Anna-Lena Müsch