The Science Adventure Odysseum in Cologne opened in 2008 as a new knowledge experience house that also addresses the topic of global contract. Scientific innovations and questions about the future of humanity are the focus on three levels, are clearly explained and made interactive. A key theme is the interaction between scientific and technical potential on the one hand - and the way in which they are used by society on the other.

The Odysseum has high content standards. It not only deals with selected scientific disciplines, but also raises fundamental questions:

• Is technology the solution?
• Where are information technology and genetic engineering leading us?
• Is violence inevitable around the globe?
• Is there a chance for sustainable development?

The name of the Odysseum Cologne refers to the Odyssey from Greek mythology: the complex development of an individual with his or her own personal ups and downs. The Odysseum also reflects four million years of human evolution: from endangered hominids to rulers of the earth - still an odyssey with an uncertain outcome. In Cologne, it becomes apparent that we are all seekers and creators in an increasingly complex world. The Odysseum serves as a showcase for the regional research and science landscape and forms a platform for dialogue between science and society.

In this way, the Odysseum Cologne offers teachers and educators excellent opportunities for further training, for themselves and for their students. The sociopolitical relevance is obvious: sustainability, biological evolution, nutrition, water, genetic engineering and robotics are topics that require constant scientifically sound and didactically attractive preparation.

The Odysseum therefore wants to integrate a broad spectrum of scientific, technology-based and social groups and actors as well as their topics into the presentation and communication processes. This is also done via the Odysseum portal "Life · Knowledge · Future", via communication platforms on the Internet and via the Odysseum homepage.

The founding of the Odysseum Cologne in the middle of one of the most important research regions in Europe is an expression of a modern knowledge society. The broad social debate about the most diverse facets of progress is part of a new, growing culture.

In the "orientation questions" topic segment, visitors experience the following example of a scenography: From the ramp, which illustrates the development of the superorganism humanity, the visitor moves into an in-depth room about the Montreal Protocol as a guide to the future. There, the threat to a global resource (namely an intact ozone layer) is conveyed and the solution that was fixed with the Montreal Protocol, among other things through the successful use of co-financing mechanisms.

In an in-depth room in the Mountain of Sustainability, visitors can also explore the topic of global contracts. This takes place against the backdrop of shaping the future. Here they are confronted with the following questions, among others:

• Does sustainability have a chance?
• Freedom and democracy for all?
• Is world democracy possible?