The museum features a 'kiss-o-meter' that calculates the number of bacteria transferred during a kiss.
Micropia is situated in the renovated Ledeninstituut, a building that previously served as a library and zoological museum for the Artis complex.
The facility includes a functional, visible laboratory where staff actively culture and monitor microbes for the exhibits.
The museum displays a 'micro-zoo' containing various extremophiles that thrive in harsh environments.
Every visitor is scanned at the entrance to show how many trillions of microbes are currently living on their body.
The museum was awarded the European Museum of the Year Award's DASA Award in 2016 for its innovative approach to digital interaction.
Micropia is the world's first museum dedicated entirely to microbes, housed within the historic Natura Artis Magistra complex in Amsterdam. The exhibits utilize interactive microscopes, scanners, and laboratory displays to visualize the invisible world of fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Visitors can view real-time microbial growth, monitor their own microbiome through a body scanner, and observe a working microbiology laboratory behind glass. The collection emphasizes the functional roles of microorganisms in medicine, energy, and food production. The museum design focuses on high-tech audiovisual installations to make complex biological concepts accessible to all ages. It maintains a direct connection to the Artis Royal Zoo, functioning as an extension of their scientific and educational mission.
The glowing, dark-lit exhibit wall filled with illuminated petri dishes showing colorful microbial colonies.
Engage with the interactive 'Micropia Scan' at the entrance to receive a personalized digital souvenir of your microbial profile.
Spend time observing the lab technicians through the glass windows, as they are often happy to answer questions via intercom.
Visit the lower floor to see the large-scale projection installations that visualize bacterial movement.
Do not rush through the interactive stations; many require several minutes of observation to see the microbial life cycles.
Open daily, including holidays.
