Mathematicum

What Mathematicum does

Mathematikum Gießen e.V. is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) operating the world's first mathematical science center, founded in 2002 by Prof. Dr. Albrecht Beutelspacher in Gießen, Germany. The core product is a permanent exhibition of over 170 interactive mathematical exhibits spread across approximately 1,200 square meters, where visitors of all ages — from kindergarten through seniors, including people with disabilities — explore mathematical phenomena through hands-on experimentation (e.g., the 24-ball Ball Machine demonstrating probability, the Giant Soap Bubble, Square Wheels, Leonardo's Bridge, and the Mirror Kaleidoscope). Sub-products include the Mini-Mathematikum (ages 3-8), the Wanderausstellung traveling exhibition rental program (2,500 EUR per two weeks), rotating special exhibitions such as 'Echt jetzt?! – Optischen Illusionen auf der Spur' (Jan–Sept 2026), and 'Mathematikum im Koffer' for dementia therapy.

The business operates a hybrid monetization model combining consumer-facing revenue streams (admission fees, cafeteria sales at 1.00–2.00 EUR per item, on-site and online shop sales of puzzles, books, and merchandise, plus event programs like children's birthday parties, children's lectures, teacher training, and 'Auf eine Tasse Kaffee mit Professor Beutelspacher' online sessions) with B2B revenue (exhibit sales to international museums/science centers including DASA Dortmund, Goethe Institut Munich, Knock Knock Children's Museum, Maths World UK, Rahmi M. Koç Museum Istanbul, Technorama Winterthur; plus supplementary lectures at 300 EUR honorarium per appearance). Distribution is multi-channel: a fixed physical location in Gießen, a traveling exhibition program, a Sparkassen Hessen-Thüringen GTM partnership, B2B exhibit sales, and a D2C e-commerce shop shipping to 100+ countries.

The institution has welcomed over 2.2 million visitors cumulatively since 2002 (the 2,222,222nd visitor was logged on November 19, 2019), and operates with a small 1–10 employee footprint. It holds registered trademarks on 'Mathematikum', 'Mini-Mathematikum', and 'Mathematikum im Koffer', and received the 'Fair Family Gütesiegel' in 2024 for family-friendly pricing. The organization is governed without external investors or parent company and is supported through its diversified revenue streams plus donations solicited via its website.

Name

Mathematicum

Legal name

Mathematikum Gießen e.V.

Website

https://mathematikum.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mathematikum Gießen e.V. operates the world's first mathematical science center in Germany, offering 170+ interactive exhibits that teach mathematics through hands-on experimentation to families, school groups, seniors, and people with disabilities, while licensing exhibits and traveling exhibitions internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mathematical Science Museum / Educational Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Problem-Solving & Enrichment Classes (Non-competition) (EDAMAEAB), Math Circles & Mathematical Communities (EDAMAEAC), 3D Puzzles & Model Puzzles Retail (CRALALAK)

Keywords

• Interactive math exhibits
• Mathematical science center
• Hands-on learning
• Traveling exhibitions
• Educational museum programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Gießen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to enter the museum and explore the exhibits. Group bookings available with introduction sessions.
2. Exhibit Sales: Mathematikum designs and produces exhibits in-house and sells them to national and international institutions including museums, schools, and cultural centers.
3. Wanderausstellung (Traveling Exhibition) Rentals: Two-week rental of traveling exhibition packages costs 2,500 EUR for schools and educational institutions, with 1,000 EUR per additional week. Includes organization, insurance, transport, setup, and training.
4. Cafeteria Sales: On-site cafeteria offers coffee, cappuccino, cake, pretzels, ice cream, and beverages at family-friendly prices.
5. Shop Sales: Physical and online shop sells puzzles, books, math-themed merchandise, and signed books by Prof. Beutelspacher.
6. Event Programs: Birthday party packages, children's lectures, professional development for teachers, special events like 'Camouflage' theater.
7. Supplementary Lectures: Honorarium of 300 EUR plus travel costs for lectures by Prof. Beutelspacher or scientific staff at traveling exhibition locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mathematikum operates the world's first mathematical science center, a hands-on museum in Gießen, Germany featuring over 170 interactive exhibits across more than 1,200 square meters where visitors of all ages explore mathematical concepts through experimentation. Beyond the core museum, it sells and rents its in-house designed exhibits (including a Wanderausstellung traveling exhibition program) to other museums, schools, science centers, and cultural institutions internationally, and operates an online shop selling math-themed merchandise, puzzles, and books.

Product overview

Mathematikum is the world's first mathematical science center, offering a core hands-on exhibition with over 170 interactive exhibits where visitors of all ages explore mathematics through experimentation. The portfolio includes Mini-Mathematikum (a dedicated area for children ages 3-8), Wanderausstellung (traveling exhibitions for schools/institutions), and rotating Sonderausstellungen (special exhibitions like 'Echt jetzt?!' on optical illusions and 'Camouflage - Zauberkunst hoch²'). Supporting services include Kindergeburtstage (birthday parties), Kindervorlesungen (children's lectures), 'Auf eine Tasse Kaffee mit Professor Beutelspacher' (online talks), Fortbildungen (teacher training), Exponatverkauf (exhibit sales), Exponatausleihe (exhibit rentals), and 'Mathematik im Koffer' (experiments for dementia patients). An online shop offers merchandise including puzzles, books, and signed publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mini-Mathematikum: A dedicated area of the Mathematikum for children from 3 to 8 years, exploring mathematical basics 'numbers', 'shapes', and 'patterns'.

Products and services

• Mathematikum (Hauptausstellung / Main Exhibition) The main hands-on mathematics museum exhibition with over 170 interactive exhibits on approximately 1,200 square meters, where visitors explore mathematical phenomena through experimentation. Open to the public daily in Gießen, Germany.
• Mini-Mathematikum A dedicated area within Mathematikum designed specifically for children ages 3-8, featuring age-appropriate mathematical experiments exploring numbers, shapes, and patterns.
• Wanderausstellung (Traveling Exhibition)
• Echt jetzt?! – Optischen Illusionen auf der Spur Special exhibition featuring over 25 interactive exhibits exploring optical illusions and how the brain processes visual information (disappearing bodies, moving lines, misjudged distances). Runs January 17 – September 13, 2026.
• Kindergeburtstage (Birthday Parties)
• Kindervorlesungen (Children's Lectures)
• Auf eine Tasse Kaffee mit Professor Beutelspacher
• Fortbildungen für Lehrkräfte (Teacher Professional Development)
• Exponatverkauf (Exhibit Sales)
• Exponatausleihe (Exhibit Rental)
• Mathematik im Koffer (Mathematikum in a Suitcase) A suitcase with mathematical experiments designed for people with dementia, developed in cooperation with dementia experts, for use in care facilities.
• Camouflage - Zauberkunst hoch²
• Spieglein, Spieglein!
• Online-Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.2 million visitors since opening in 2002
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DASA DortmundminorOthersMathematikum sells mathematical exhibits to DASA (Dortmund), one of the world's largest labor museums. Exhibits include interactive installations for hands-on mathematics education.
• Goethe Institut MunichminorOthersMathematikum sells exhibits to the Goethe Institut Munich for use in their educational programs promoting German culture and science worldwide.
• Knock Knock Children's Museum, Baton Rouge, USAminorOthersMathematikum sells exhibits to this children's museum in Louisiana, USA, expanding international reach.
• Maths World UKminorOthersMathematikum sells exhibits to Maths World UK, supporting their mission to bring mathematics to life for UK visitors.
• Rahmi M. Koç Museum, IstanbulminorOthersMathematikum sells exhibits to this major museum in Turkey, bringing hands-on mathematics to Turkish audiences.
• Technorama, Winterthur, SwitzerlandminorOthersMathematikum sells exhibits to Technorama, Switzerland's leading science center, enhancing their mathematics offerings.
• Blista MarburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with Blista Marburg (organization for blind and visually impaired people) to develop exhibits with Braille labels, making mathematics accessible to visually impaired visitors.
• Stadttheater GießenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with Stadttheater Gießen for theater project 'Spieglein, Spieglein!' combining mathematics and performing arts.
• Demenz-Expertinnen (Dementia Experts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped 'Mathematikum im Koffer' (Mathematikum in a Suitcase) with dementia experts for therapeutic use with dementia patients.
• Alzheimer Gesellschaft Marburg-Biedenkopf e.V.minorOthersReceived the first 'Mathematikum im Koffer' kit for lending to dementia patients. The kit is lent out for a fee.
• Sparkassen in Hessen-ThüringenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThrough the Sparkassen tour, traveling exhibitions 'Faszination Mathematik' and 'Mini-Mathematikum' are brought to various locations in the Hessen-Thüringen region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Exploratorium: San Francisco's pioneering hands-on science museum that set the template for interactive science centers globally. Comparable exhibition philosophy and educational programming, though broader in subject matter than Mathematikum.
• Experimentarium: Copenhagen's large-scale interactive science center. Shares Mathematikum's hands-on exhibit philosophy and family/education audience but operates at greater scale across broader science topics.
• NEMO Science Museum: Amsterdam's flagship science center and a much larger, broader incumbent. Comparable hands-on experimental format and visitor demographic, but covers science/technology broadly rather than focusing on mathematics like Mathematikum.
• Phaeno: Wolfsburg's experimental science center designed by Zaha Hadid, a regional peer in Germany. Comparable hands-on exhibition model and school-group programming, but focuses on natural sciences and technology rather than mathematics.

Direct peers

• Technorama: Switzerland's leading hands-on science center in Winterthur. Directly comparable as a fellow interactive science museum that purchased Mathematikum exhibits; both focus on visitor-driven experimentation with overlapping subject matter (physics, mathematics, perception).
• DASA Dortmund: One of the world's largest labor/working-world museums in Germany and a documented Mathematikum exhibit customer. Comparable as a German interactive-experience museum that integrates hands-on mathematical exhibits into a broader thematic program.
• MoMath — National Museum of Mathematics: New York's national museum of mathematics, the closest US analog to Mathematikum in concept (hands-on math exhibits for all ages). Directly comparable as a math-only interactive museum competing for the same global audience and credibility in math communication.
• Maths World UK: UK-based mathematics discovery center whose mission to 'bring mathematics to life' closely mirrors Mathematikum's. Both operate as dedicated math-focused museums; Maths World is also a documented Mathematikum exhibit customer.
• Knock Knock Children's Museum: Baton Rouge, Louisiana children's museum that purchased Mathematikum exhibits. Comparable as a children's-museum customer using Mathematikum-designed interactive exhibits to deliver math learning experiences to a similar family audience.

Emerging players

• Rahmi M. Koç Museum: Istanbul's industry/transportation museum and a documented Mathematikum exhibit customer. Comparable as an interactive museum integrating Mathematikum math exhibits; differs by being a regional emerging player with a different thematic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Mathematikum
• Xx.com/mathematikum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mathematikum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mathematicum