Albert Einstein is the most famous physicist of the 20th century. His image is known by people of all ages all over the world. He stands for many timeless and relevant ideals such as scientific excellence, political responsibility, social commitment and, of course, many inventive ideas. His theories about space, time, light and atoms have fundamentally changed our view of the world and redefined the paradigms of physics. His theories are still used today in many areas of scientific research and development. In 2001, for example, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle (patron of the association) for the “Bose-Einstein Condensates”, which Einstein had predicted almost 100 years ago. In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the “Detection of Gravitational Waves”, in 2020 to Prof. Dr. Reinhard Genzel (Association Patron) for the “Black Holes” and in 2022 to Prof. Dr. Anton Zeilinger (Association Patron) for the “Quantum physical effects” (spooky remote effects) that Einstein had previously discovered.

The city of Ulm is home to a large university and has been awarded German City of Science status. However, it currently lacks a facility that highlights Einstein’s universal importance in the world of science and technology and beyond.

To also honor Einstein’s significant contributions to society, a major international project has been launched to establish an Albert Einstein Discovery Center in the heart of the city.

This mission is being driven forward by our non-profit association, the Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm e.V. The association was founded on September 16, 2016 and consists mainly of citizens from Ulm and the surrounding area, but also has members from all over the world. Ulm is rightly proud of its huge cathedral, the tallest church tower in the world.

But it’s not just because a taller tower is nearing completion in Barcelona that nothing can create the so-called “Bilbao effect” more than the name Albert Einstein. The term goes back to the development of the city of Bilbao in connection with the Guggenheim Museum by architect Frank O. Gehry, which was completed in 1997. This building enhanced the value of the entire region to an extent that was previously not thought possible. The Discovery Center will have a similar effect on the city of Ulm, as Ulm is the birthplace of Albert Einstein.