Amble in awe through Ghent's science museum (GUM)

17/05/2022

The GUM (Ghent University Museum) aims not only to inspire and excite its visitors, but also to make them have doubts like real scientists. After all, science is not about off-the-shelf answers, but a matter of gaining knowledge and insights through doubt, failure, re-trying, creativity, imagination, courage and unexpected breakthroughs.

Ghent University has decided to approach science from a new angle with its brand new museum, GUM. You won't find a summary of the greatest scientific accomplishments or things to try out for yourself. Instead, visitors will wander the same path as the researchers themselves, and follow their thoughts and decisions across seven topics: chaos, doubt, model, measure, knowledge, imagination and network. For each topic there is a collection of objects from very diverse disciplines, such as biology, archaeology, psychology, medicine, architecture and art. Some of which result in very surprising, artistic-looking and awesome museum displays.

However, most of all you must come and enjoy the 800 objects on display from Ghent University's heritage collection, which dates back to 1816, when King William I from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands founded the university. It is a carefully chosen selection from over 400,000 items which have been categorised and described in the last decade.

The Ghent University Museum (GUM) received a special mention during the European Museum of the Year Awards 2022. The jury praised the way the museum boosts public interest in science with its fun and innovative approach.

In GUM, several hours of enjoyment are guaranteed.