Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet

What Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet does

Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet is a multi-site science museum complex operating as a department of Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark. The institution comprises four distinct venues: Botanisk Have og Væksthusene (Botanical Garden and Greenhouses, offering free admission and four climate zones, with an on-site café); Steno Museet (a science and human-biology museum with a medicinal herb garden and planetarium); Ole Rømer Observatoriet (an astronomy observatory housing Denmark's largest telescope, with stargazing tours and the adjacent Scienceparken); and Herbariet (a research collection of 750,000 dried plant specimens catalogued in an online database). The observatory, designed by architect Anton Rosen, was completed in 1911 and reopened on September 25, 2023 after a 17 million DKK restoration funded by a consortium of Danish philanthropic foundations, Aarhus Municipality, and Aarhus University.

The institution's commercial activity centres on physical visitor experiences. Revenue streams include ticket sales for paid attractions (guided tours at 95 DKK, planetarium shows, observatory stargazing), the museum webshop and on-site museum shops, school and educational workshops (the primary customer segment), café operations in Væksthusene, and a programme of public lectures hosted via Aarhus University's ofn.au.dk platform. Distribution is omnichannel: four physical sites, an Eventim Light online booking system, an e-commerce webshop, and a school booking system. Marketing relies on the institutional website, an astronomy blog (Astronomibloggen), Instagram and Facebook pages, a school newsletter, and seasonal press releases. Customer segments span schools (primary), families and children (holiday programming), science and astronomy enthusiasts, and the general public, all served within a single regional catchment (Aarhus / Central Denmark Region).

The institution has been recognised externally with a Tripadvisor Hall of Fame certificate (2019), a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award (2024), and TIME Magazine's World's Greatest Places listing in 2023 (for Ole Rømer Observatoriet). Science Museerne operates as part of Danish public education and research infrastructure; it is not a venture-backed entity, has no external shareholders, and does not publish separate revenue figures. Its funding model combines Aarhus University core budget allocations, Danish government support, and philanthropic foundation grants for capital and exhibition projects.

Name

Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet

Legal name

Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet

Website

https://sciencemuseerne.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet operates a four-site science museum complex in Aarhus, Denmark — botanical garden, science museum, observatory, and 750,000-specimen herbarium — serving schools, families, and the general public through admissions, workshops, and exhibitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museums & Cultural Attractions

NAICS

Museums (71211), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL), Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Science museums
• Botanical gardens
• Public observatories
• University museums
• Natural history exhibits

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission and ticket sales: Revenue from museum admissions, guided tours, and special events such as stargazing sessions at Ole Rømer Observatory and planetarium shows
2. Museum retail (webshop): Sales of science-themed gifts and merchandise through the museum webshop and physical museum shops
3. Café operations: Café in Væksthusene (The Greenhouses) providing food and beverage service to visitors
4. School workshops: Paid educational workshops and programs for schools and educational institutions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Science Museerne operates a multi-site public science museum complex under Aarhus Universitet, encompassing the Botanisk Have (Botanical Garden), Steno Museet (Steno Museum of science and medical history), Ole Rømer Observatoriet (public astronomical observatory), and Herbariet (university herbarium). It offers free or low-cost public exhibitions, educational programs for schools and families, and astronomical observation events to the general public and visiting researchers.

Product overview

Science Museerne is a multi-site science museum complex operated by Aarhus University, consisting of four distinct facilities: Botanisk Have (Botanical Garden) with Væksthusene (Greenhouses) offering free entry and four climate zones; Steno Museet featuring science exhibitions, a planetarium, and medicinal herb garden; Ole Rømer Observatoriet housing Denmark's largest telescope and Science Park; and Herbariet containing 750,000 dried plant specimens. The institution also provides educational workshops for schools, guided tours, public lectures, and operates a webshop. All facilities focus on making natural science accessible to the public at eye level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Botanisk Have (Botanical Garden)
• Steno Museet
• Ole Rømer Observatoriet (Ole Rømer Observatory)
• Herbariet (University Herbarium)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ReVærk ArkitekturcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReVærk won the architecture competition to design Sciencehytter (Science Huts) in the observatory garden. The project creates facilities for school classes to engage in science education activities in an immersive natural setting between earth and universe.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Experimentarium: Copenhagen-based Danish science centre with hands-on exhibits and planetarium programming, serving the same family, school, and general-public segments as Science Museerne and competing for Danish science-communication visitors and foundation funding.
• Tycho Brahe Planetarium: Copenhagen planetarium offering star shows and astronomy education directly competing with the Ole Rømer Observatory's planetarium programming for Danish school groups and astronomy enthusiasts.
• Natural History Museum of Denmark (Statens Naturhistoriske Museum): University of Copenhagen-affiliated natural history museum combining botanical gardens, herbarium collections, and public exhibitions; highly comparable given its shared university-department structure, botanical assets, and herbarium operations.
• Teknisk Museum (Danish Museum of Science and Technology): Denmark's national museum of science and technology in Copenhagen, operating planetarium and exhibition programming similar to Steno Museet and targeting the same Danish school-trip and family audiences.
• University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden (Botanisk Have): Copenhagen university botanical garden with public access, climate-controlled greenhouses, and herbarium collections, directly comparable to Botanisk Have og Væksthusene in mission, assets, and target audience.

Broad incumbents

• Science Museum Group: UK-based multi-site science museum group with major flagship venues, comparable in operating a federated complex of science museums and significant heritage collections, though at substantially larger scale.
• Deutsches Museum: Munich-based flagship science and technology museum combining natural science, technology, and planetarium offerings; a comparable European incumbent in the same science-museum category but at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Aros Aarhus Art Museum: Aarhus-based contemporary art museum, the city's main cultural anchor and a regional counterpart competing for the same tourist, family, and school audiences visiting Aarhus for cultural experiences.
• Den Gamle By: Open-air cultural history museum in Aarhus attracting similar tourist and school-trip visitors in the same city, sharing the regional visitor pool with Science Museerne and competing for foundation grants in the Central Denmark Region.

Emerging players

• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based interactive science museum pioneering co-created exhibits and science communication; comparable in its hands-on approach and exhibition philosophy, though operating in a very different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StenoMuseet
• Instagraminstagram.com/ScienceMuseerne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/science-museerne-aarhus-universitet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Science Museerne, Aarhus Universitet