A new museum called Micropia, the first of its kind, is set to open in Natura Artis Magistra’s historical "Ledenlokalen" (1870). It will add an important new chapter to our tradition of collecting, displaying and experiencing the natural world. It is impossible to fully understand the interconnectivity of the natural world without knowledge of the most powerful, most successful and, at the same time, smallest organisms. Microbiology can help solve global problems, from water purification to developing new ways to cure infectious diseases. It can produce energy, food and bio-plastics. There is no end to its uses.
There is, though, a serious knowledge gap between the science and the general public. If there is any generally held view about the invisible micro-world at all, it is a negative one. Unknown is unloved. This is dangerous, because the lack of understanding and the preconceptions about microbes lessen support among the public for the scientific work being done and this has a negative effect on innovation.
Natura Artis Magistra has 176 years of experience in interpreting complex science for the general public. Micropia will put this expertise to the service of this microscopic world waiting to be discovered. The museum will open up micro-nature which promises to give us so much in the future.
Micropia is set to inspire the general public, encouraging their interest in the smallest, most successful organisms from an early age. Micropia will not just be a museum, but will also provide a platform, a link between ordinary people and science. Seeing and experiencing will be kept central, with the focus on the (mostly positive) relationship between microbes and the visitors themselves. This will bring nature startlingly close, while the smart provision of information will allow everyone, from the youngest amateur to the oldest expert, to find exactly what they are looking for. One thing is sure: after visiting Micropia, you will never see yourself, or the world, in the same way again.