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Graphic with colorful animals, photo built in the middle with children sliding down a wooden surface.

ANOHA

The Children's World of the Jewish Museum Berlin

A new place for discovery, exploration, and play has taken form, right across from the Jewish Museum Berlin: The ANOHA children's world opened to young visitors of preschool and grade-school age on 27 June 2021.

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All current information can be found on ANOHA's child-oriented website.
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The story of Noah's ark from the Torah takes center stage at the children's museum. According to tradition, the ark was an enormous boat that Noah used to save his family and all of the animal species from the flood. More than 150 animals are gathered in the heart of the ANOHA children's world – a gigantic round ark made of wood, designed by the American firm Olson Kundig Architecture and Design.

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin Postal address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin

Come to the ark! Jewish Museum Berlin, 2021
We would like to thank the main characters from the Grunewald Grundschule and KiTa Grunewald. A production of Cobra Youth Communications GmbH and PS Film. Supported by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media by a resolution of the German Parliament.

Using stories of the creation, flood, and new beginnings that appear in various religions, we want to encourage our youngest guests to think about the respectful coexistence of people, animals, and nature, and to embolden them to take action toward a diverse and better world.

In the Ark

Many animals live in the ark – large and small ones, popular animals and outsiders. We invite the children to accompany the animal passengers, take care of a zebra, cow, or one of their friends, and to contribute to their well-being.

Model sketch of the round wooden ark.

Preliminary model of the Ark. Jewish Museum Berlin; Designed by Olson Kundig Architecture and Exhibit Design

Less popular animals such as the naked mole rat also have their place, standing for respect, openness, and tolerance of anything that may at first seem foreign. The extinct mammoth, as well as endangered animals such as polar bears draw attention to environmental problems, their consequences, and our possibilities for action.

All of the animals were created by selected artists using recycled materials. The sculptures can be explored in a number of ways – they can be used as monkey bars, hammocks, and snuggle caves. Some of the animals can produce noises, others contain treasures.

Drawning depicting a green turtle, a colorful monkey, a mammoth, and an emu

Animals large and small from around the world populate the Ark and invite children to climb, make music, or feed them. The mammoth might look something like this. Jewish Museum Berlin; Designed by Olson Kundig Architecture and Exhibit Design

Offerings for Children and Families

The ANOHA children's world also contains several workshop rooms and studios – plenty of space for being creative, making music, putting on plays, and making something new together. In this way, the Jewish Museum Berlin expanded its existing program for children and youth, with workshops specially designed for children and families, preschool and grade-school groups, as well as education professionals.

You'll find more information on ANOHA's child-oriented website https://anoha.de.

Entwurfzeichnung eines Nashorns, das in einen Kasten auf Rädern kotet

The animals in the exhibition were constructed using found objects and recycled materials. Jewish Museum Berlin; Designed by Olson Kundig Architecture and Exhibit Design

Entwurf des Kindermuseums mit Eingangsbereich, Foyer, Bistro und Ausstellungsflächen.

Design for the Children’s Museum including the entranceway, lobby, bistro, and exhibition spaces. Jewish Museum Berlin; Designed by Olson Kundig Architecture and Exhibit Design

Early Excellence

The Children’s Museum and its programs follow the approach of “early excellence,” which emphasizes the importance of encouraging and educating children even before they start school. With the Children’s Museum, we aim to create an attractive environment for families with small children right in the middle of the city. Its location in our immediate neighborhood is especially important to us. We initiate collaborative partnerships and make connections with other institutions to create an open, family-friendly, and culturally diverse meeting place.

With support from

Logo: Dürr Stiftung.

Children as Advisors

A dedicated Children’s Advisory Council has played an active role in shaping the new museum’s deveopment. The advisory council consists of children between the ages of eight and eleven.
In regular meetings, the children put forward their wishes for the museum and its educational programming. We discuss, develop, dream up, and discard new ideas. The workshops are designed and conducted using cultural education methods with the involvement of outside artists.

Children with construction helmets play with large letters of the lettering ANOHA

Children of our Children’s Advisory Council welcome the name of the new children's world; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Sibylle Baier

Sustainable Construction

We were also thinking about sustainability in our construction of the Children’s Museum. The load-bearing walls and ceilings are made of regional, sustainable raw materials, primarily wood. We have also largely forgone a mechanical air ventilation system, opting for a concept of natural air circulation instead.

Project Partners

The Children’s Museum was created in collaboration with the Seattle-based agency Olson Kundig Architecture and Exhibit Design. Olson Kundig has a worldwide reputation for its innovative exhibition and educational concepts. The architects have received several awards for ANOHA:

  • BETTER FUTURE WILD Design Award, 2023
  • Architizer A+ Awards, Winner, Gallery & Exhibition Spaces Category, 2023
  • Architizer A+ Awards, Finalist, Architecture + Community, 2023
  • Architect's Newspaper Best of Design Awards, Honorable Mention, Exhibition Design Category, 2022
  • Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards, Honorable Mention, 2022
  • AIA Seattle Honor Awards, Award of Merit, 2021
  • AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Design Awards, Honor Award, 2020
  • Interior Design Best of Year Awards, Winner, Kids' Zone Category, 2020

The Jewish Museum Berlin would like to thank all its supporters for their trust and their generosity.

Exterior view of the Academy Building of the Jewish Museum Berlin with signposting to ANOHA

The Children’s Museum was built behind the W. Michael Blumenthal Academy, in a former wholesale flower market. In 2012, the Academy was redesigned by the architect Daniel Libeskind, who also designed the museum building across the street. Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Yves Sucksdorff

With funding provided by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media on the basis of a resolution by the German Bundestag.

Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Logo)

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