The Techmania Museum in Plzeň is building exhibitions focused on the smallest

Plzeň - The Plzeň Museum Techmania Science Center, focused on popularizing science, has begun building new exhibits aimed at the youngest "technicians" and "natural scientists" from the age of three. It will make use of hundreds of square meters of a new area being constructed for 600 million CZK, which will open at the beginning of 2014. Vlastimil Volák, the director, told ČTK. Until now, the museum could not target the smallest demographic group as it was limited by space and funds.
    "For preschool children and first-grade elementary school students, we are preparing an exhibition called Little Science. Children will try out various professions in the simplest and most interesting form," he added. Most of the exhibits will be newly focused on the widest possible age group. "The advantage of science centers is that children will see the course of phenomena. They may not understand it, but they will know what happens and it will leave some impression on them," Volák stated.
    Currently, there are 200 exhibits in Techmania, demonstrating about 60 phenomena. After the completion of construction, the number of exhibits will at least double, along with new expeditions. Today, it is built on physics and consists of solitary exhibits. They will be newly complemented with interesting stories like the current exhibition Top Secret, which draws visitors into the narrative.
    The museum will expand its focus. It will also address high-tech products and offer exhibits that will evoke what might happen in the future, especially in relation to the exploration and observation of outer space. "Each exhibition in the main building and planetarium will show how people could contribute to development in the future," Volák noted.
    The construction of Techmania began in January. The exhibition area will increase from the current 3000 m² to nearly 7000 m², and a modern planetarium with its own exhibition spaces will be created. Interior spaces, including laboratories for physics, chemistry, and biology for schools, will cover 12,000 m².
    The first phase of construction will end in October 2013, when the planetarium will open with a parking lot for 600 cars, and at the beginning of 2014, the entire area, which will include two renovated buildings donated by Škodovka.
    To date, Techmania has consumed over 100 million CZK. In its 3.5 years of existence, it has maintained more than 70,000 visitors annually. "Half consists of parents with children, which will be our strongest target group; a quarter are school groups, mostly from gymnasiums," Volák added.