From 22 August 2025 to 11 January 2026, the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt will be showing the immersive exhibition "Clouds. Experience and Understanding" from 22 August 2025 to 11 January 2026. The show is dedicated to the appearance, formation and effects of clouds – from their significance for the weather and everyday life to their role in the climate system.
At the heart of the exhibition are multimedia visualisations of spectacular weather events, 3D models and exhibits from the museum's collection. Cloud formation can be observed on site in a cloud chamber; replicas of various cloud types up to eight metres in size illustrate the classification system. A VR station simulates drastic weather changes with thunderstorms and tornadoes. In the "sky room", specially designed cloud seats invite visitors to linger. Accompanying texts convey the latest research findings on cloud types, climate and phenomena such as "animal rain".
The picture gallery is also included: 16 works from 500 years of art history are accompanied by additional information panels on cloud motifs; there is a free search game for children and families. A selection of the most beautiful cloud photographs from a participatory campaign will be available in an online gallery from 21 August. A supporting programme accompanies the exhibition: public tours, tandem tours from different specialist perspectives, and collaborations with Darmstadt Marketing and EUMETSAT. A party evening, a (already sold-out) concert by Canadian musician Dan Mangan, a cloud identification workshop with an expert from the German Weather Service and a cyanotype workshop are also planned. For families and young visitors, the programme includes children's tours, family tours, a reading hour on the topic of clouds, and an autumn workshop for children aged eight and above. The exhibition aims to turn the audience into "cloud researchers" themselves – with vivid experiments, insights into current science, and a look at the sky above Darmstadt.
