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UNESCO – Memory of the World

Contextualised experience of the Nebra Sky Disc. Treasures of humanity at the interface of authentic archaeological locations and the digital world.

Project duration: 1 April 2019 to 31 December 2021.

The Nebra Sky Disc is undoubtedly a world-class find. The knowledge encoded in the object and its cultural environment fascinates visitors and numerous researchers since almost 20 years. The experience of the spatial and temporal context of the Sky Disc beyond the museum visit and by means of media access can now be accomplished as part of a project at the State Museum of Prehistory and thanks to funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and the State of Saxony-Anhalt.

The world of the Sky Disc, its unique history, and the Himmelswege (Sky Paths) stations connected to it were the focus of the project ›UNESCO – Memory of the World: contextualised experience of the Nebra Sky Disc‹. A sub-project were current excavations at the ring sanctuary of Pömmelte and the neighbouring circular ditched enclosure of Schönebeck to research the fundamental cultural history of the time of the Sky Disc. This was prepared in such a way that the visitors have the choice of approaching the analogue and digital content according to their wishes: Different media communication preferences, the background of those interested, different levels of education and age should not be incompatible conditions. We are looking for an additional benefit or stimulus in the medium that reinforces the conveyance of the content. This can be the opening of a discovery map, which then actually unfolds new knowledge, or the immediate dramatic effect of virtual reality glasses through which we enter a new world.

Knowledge Acquisition at Pömmelte and Schönebeck

The ritual landscape between the two henge monuments of Pömmelte and Schönebeck forms an ideal basis for understanding the religious, social, and cultural-historical foundations of the Early Bronze Age Sky Disc of Nebra. The immense density of settlement evidence, burials, and certainly religiously motivated constructions of the EndNeolithic Corded Ware and Bell Beaker cultures as well as the Early Bronze Age Únětice culture are unique for central Europe. The closest parallels are Stonehenge and Avebury on the British Isles. The knowledge of the changes in this almost 1,000-year-old ritual landscape has been acquired in more detail in the years 2019 to 2021.

eMuseum Himmelswege (Sky Paths)

As a digital offer, the eMuseum wants to rethink museum tasks and opportunities. Here, too, the Nebra Sky Disc and the Sky Paths take centre stage.

With the help of an innovative educational programme, the user is offered more than just one possibility to prepare for and follow up on a visit to the museum: A new type of digital knowledge and experience space is created through various accesses to the Sky Paths. This also attracts those visitors who are not able to travel in person.

Join us – also in English – on the discovery tour at emuseum-himmelswege.de!

Himmelswege (Sky Paths) discovery maps

Four discovery maps are intended to give visitors access to the exciting surroundings of the Sky Paths stations (Nebra Ark, Goseck Solar Observatory, Langeneichstädt Dolmen Goddess, State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, and Pömmelte Ring Sanctuary). These maps are dedicated to the individual microregions of the Sky Path stations. In addition to the archaeological sites, also those treasures are depicted that do not catch everyone’s eye at first glance.

We offer the discovery maps for download here:

Nebra Ark and Langeneichstädt Dolmen Goddess in German [PDF, 7 MB] and in English [PDF, 5 MB].

Pömmelte Ring Sanctuary in German [PDF, 8 MB] and in English [PDF, 7 MB].

Goseck Solar Observatory in German [PDF, 8 MB] and in English [7 MB].

State Museum of Prehistory in Halle in German [PDF, 15 MB] and in English [PDF, 9 MB].

Himmelswege (Sky Paths) Download Exhibition

The download exhibition takes a new approach to communication in the museum and exhibition world. With a click of the mouse a poster exhibition on the Sky Disc and the Sky Paths can be downloaded free of charge. The printouts can be the basis for your own small presentation and are particularly interesting for schools, societies, and public institutions. The exhibition is available in seven different languages.

›The Nebra Sky Disc – a virtual journey‹

In this art project, the direct focus is not on conveying information; rather, an installation is intended to provide visitors with special audiovisual access and immersion in the world of the Sky Disc using virtual reality.

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