Urania Berlin

What Urania Berlin does

Urania Berlin e.V. is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1888 in Berlin, recognized as the world's first science center. Its mission is to disseminate scientific knowledge and civic discourse to a broad public audience through panel discussions, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and a podcast series ('Wird schon – Gesprache zum Optimismus'). The organization operates from a central Berlin location at An der Urania 17, near Wittenbergplatz and Kurfurstendamm, with five core products: ticketed event programming (3–15 EUR), venue rental across multiple halls (Humboldtsaal up to 866 seats, Kleistsaal up to 278, conference rooms up to 200), on-site cafe and catering, membership-based community access, and institutional awards (Urania-Medaille and Urania Courage Preis). Programming is organized under six thematic pillars covering relationships, technology, play, urban development, urban nature, and cultural/food history.

The organization employs 13 staff and serves a diversified audience: the general Berlin public, students and young professionals, corporate and institutional clients renting space for conferences (up to 1,200 persons scale), and members of the association. Venue infrastructure includes the Zeiss-Grossplanetarium dome used for immersive events (notably Berlin Science Week), professional AV capabilities (Dolby Digital, surround sound), and streaming capabilities. Ticket sales are processed through Reservix and donations through HelpMundo. Public funding from Land Berlin is the sole government source, complemented by historical federal co-funding for an 85.5M EUR renovation and expansion project approved in 2020–2021 to transform Urania into a national civic forum for democracy, diversity, science, and environment.

Recent performance under director Dr. Johanna Sprondel (in role since April 2023) shows event count doubling from 75 (2022) to 156 (2024) and average attendance per event rising from 22 to 127, a more than 10x increase. Younger audience share grew 32%. Strategic partnerships include the Berlin Science Week consortium (10+ research institutions), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Embassy of Canada, and LOTTO-Stiftung Berlin. As of March 2025, planned cuts to Land Berlin public funding threaten the continuation of the current program, representing a material operational risk.

Name

Urania Berlin

Legal name

Urania Berlin e.V.

Website

https://urania.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urania Berlin is a non-profit founded in 1888 operating as Berlin's historic civic forum and event venue, hosting ticketed lectures, panel discussions, and exhibitions on science, democracy, and culture for the general public, plus venue rental for corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Cultural Event Programming

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Municipal Event Venues (THAHAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination (HSACAAAD), Nonprofit, Social Services & Community Development Congresses (THAHAJAO)

Keywords

• Civic education programming
• Event venue rental
• Public science lectures
• Cultural panel discussions
• Convention and conference hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from event admissions ranging from free to 15€ per ticket. Standard pricing at 8€ regular, 5€ discounted, 3€ for members. Premium events priced at 15€ regular, 10€ discounted.
2. Venue Rental: Rental of event spaces including Humboldt hall (up to 866 guests), Kleistsaal (up to 278), and various conference rooms (up to 200). Supports congresses, conferences, stage programs, corporate events.
3. Membership Fees: Annual membership in Urania Berlin e.V. with benefits including discounted event tickets (3€ instead of 5€ or 8€).
4. Public Funding: Government funding from Land Berlin (currently sole public funder, with historical co-funding from Bund). Federal and state funding of 85.5M€ total approved for renovation and expansion.
5. Café and Catering: On-site café services and external catering partnerships for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urania Berlin is a registered non-profit association that operates a civic forum hosting public educational and cultural events — including panel discussions, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions — organized under thematic pillars covering democracy, science, culture, and society. It also rents out its configurable event halls (Humboldt hall up to 866 guests, Kleistsaal up to 278, smaller conference rooms) to corporate and institutional clients, and runs an on-site café and catering operation. Events are ticketed through Reservix (€3–€15 per ticket), with discounted rates for association members.

Product overview

Urania Berlin is a civic forum and event venue offering a portfolio of public programming and venue services. Its core offering is event programming featuring panel discussions, lectures, and cultural events organized under thematic series including bzw.:BEZIEHUNGSWESEN (relationships), TOMORROW:jetzt (technology/future), LANGE LINIEN (sustainability/culture), HOMO LUDENS (play/games), AUFBAUAUF (urban development), and STADTNATUR on TOUR (nature). Complementary offerings include venue rental across multiple halls and meeting rooms, café and catering services, podcast production, and award programs (Urania Medaille and Urania Courage Preis).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Urania-Medaille: An award presented since 1988 to individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional achievement combined with exceptional public education and outreach.
• Urania Courage Preis

Products and services

• Event Programming and Ticketing Public cultural and educational events including panel discussions, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions on science, democracy, culture, and society; organized under six thematic pillars and ticketed via Reservix (€3–€15 per ticket; free with reservation for select formats).
• Venue Rental Rental of multiple event spaces (Humboldtsaal up to 866 guests, Kleistsaal up to 278 guests, Einstein/Kepler rooms up to 130 guests, Villa-floor meeting rooms) for congresses, conferences, corporate events, and stage programs; catering and technical equipment available on request.
• Café Urania and Catering On-site café (Café Urania) offering drinks, snacks, and salads for venue visitors, plus customized catering services for events hosted at the venue.
• 'Wird schon' Podcast Series Podcast titled 'Wird schon – Gespräche zum Optimismus' (Wird schon – Conversations on Optimism), hosted by Nikolaus Röttger, featuring discussions on optimism, digital life, self-efficacy, and societal change; distributed via Spotify and YouTube.
• Urania Medaille and Urania Courage Preis Annual award programs: the Urania-Medaille (since 1988) recognizing individuals for outstanding professional achievement combined with public education and outreach (past recipients include Igor Levit 2022, Christian Drosten and Sandra Ciesek 2021, Antje Boetius 2020); and the Urania Courage Preis (since 2022) recognizing extraordinary civil society engagement and courage (past recipients include Theresa Breuer 2022, Jakob Springfeld 2023).

Quantifiable outcome

• Event attendance grew from 75 events (22 avg visitors) in 2022 to 156 events (127 avg visitors) in 2024 - a more than 10x increase in average attendance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Botschaft von Kanada (Embassy of Canada in Germany)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration for 'Indigenes Leben in Kanada' event featuring Drew Hayden Taylor, part of Berlin Science Week 2025 programming.
• Merlin VerlagminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Book event collaboration for 'Indigenes Leben in Kanada' featuring Merlin Verlag publications.
• BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Event cooperation for Urania Courage Preis 2023 'Abend für den Mut' event.
• Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership for the 'Glokal handeln' series on development policy and cooperation, examining global-local connections in international development.
• Berlin Science Week ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programming for Berlin Science Week 2025/2026. Consortium includes: Stiftung Planetarium Berlin, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Einstein-Zentrum für Neurowissenschaften Berlin, Exzellenzcluster NeuroCure und Science of Intelligence, Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, Max Delbrück Center für Molekulare Medizin, SFB 1315, SFB TRR 295 ReTune, SFB TRR 384 IN-CODE.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deutsches Museum: Munich-based science and technology museum and one of the world's oldest science centers. Highly comparable as a German institution dedicated to public science education through exhibitions, demonstrations, and programming — sharing Urania's foundational mission of democratizing scientific knowledge.
• Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: Berlin's natural history museum and integrated research institution. Comparable as a Berlin-based civic science venue combining public exhibitions, educational programming, and partnerships with active research centers — closely aligned with Urania's science-communication role.
• Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin: Berlin's technology museum offering exhibitions and educational programming on science and technology. Comparable as a Berlin cultural-educational venue competing for the same civic-science audience and school-group market as Urania.
• Volkshochschulen (Adult Education Centers): Germany's publicly funded adult education network offering lectures, courses, and civic programming across topics including science, politics, and culture. Comparable as a publicly funded adult education provider operating in Berlin with overlapping mission around lifelong learning.
• Stiftung Planetarium Berlin: Operator of Berlin's planetariums including the Zeiss-Großplanetarium, which Urania also uses for immersive events. Directly comparable as a science-education venue operator with overlapping programming themes and a documented co-programming partnership.

Broad incumbents

• Goethe-Institut: Germany's international cultural and educational institution promoting dialogue, science, and culture globally. Comparable as a federally supported institution combining cultural programming, public discourse, and educational mission — with significantly larger geographic footprint.
• Berlin Philharmonie: Berlin's flagship cultural venue and concert hall. Comparable as a high-profile Berlin cultural institution offering ticketed public programming at premium pricing and competing for the same corporate-event and cultural-audience segments.
• Schaubühne Berlin: Major Berlin cultural venue producing public programming around politics and society. Comparable as a Berlin cultural institution offering ticketed intellectual programming on societal themes, with overlapping mission and audience.

Emerging players

• Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine: Berlin-based biomedical research institute and Berlin Science Week consortium partner. Comparable as a co-programming partner and a research institution actively engaging in public science communication through joint Urania events.

Others

• Berlin Science Week: Annual science festival consortium in which Urania is a core programming partner. Comparable as the umbrella platform organizing much of Urania's flagship immersive programming and providing shared audience demand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urania-berlin

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Urania Berlin