LAVA-DOME
German Volcano Museum Mendig
An experience that will blow your mind!
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions prove that the Earth is in constant flux. Continents shift, mountains are created and crumble away, and volcanoes erupt, destroying whatever is in their path and leaving behind new land. From a geological point of view, volcanoes are very short-term events making them environmental phenomena that people can experience with all their senses. The timeline shrinks to a human scale making it easily perceptible.
On 30 July 2005, the town of Mendig opened the German Volcano Museum “Lava Dome”, which answers all questions on the topic of volcanic activity in a fun way, which is understandable to everyone.
Museum
The Lava-Dome museum has a total exhibition space of 700 m2. As soon as you enter, you are introduced to the fascinating, high-contrast colours of the world of volcanoes. The exhibition is divided into three thematic areas: “Land of the Volcanoes”, “Volcano Workshop” and “Time of the Volcanoes”. The panoramic “landscape ring” in the lobby tells you about all the other interesting museums and scenic monuments in the “Vulkanpark”.
Main exhibition
First of all, you are given an introduction to volcanoes in the main exhibition entitled “Land of the Volcanoes”. Here you can experience simulated volcanic eruptions like those that shook the region around Mendig over the past centuries.
The “Speaking Stones” tell exciting stories of volcanic eruptions. You can look up facts and figures on current earthquakes and volcanic activity on the seismic monitor.
The round cinema has a special surprise in store – here you can watch a fictional yet extremely realistic “breaking news” story about renewed activity from the Lake Laacher See volcano!
Volcano Workshop
After visiting the “Land of the Volcanoes” you proceed upstairs to the “Volcano Workshop” and the third part of the exhibition, “Time of the Volcanoes”. Here it becomes clear why a visit to the Lava Dome is not just for adults, but is also a hit with kids too. Stories are told in the children’s play area and the “Volcano Workshop” offers a variety of games and experiments at ten different interactive stations where you can find out fun facts about volcanoes and seismic activity.
At one of these stations, you can discover first-hand that the ground is not quite as stable as it seems. At another station, you can use a periscope to look into the world below Mendig.
When looking for unusual backdrops and locations, many film, television and music producers have come to us. As a result, many elaborate productions have been filmed here including:
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