POP-UP-Knowledge- Store in Weißwasser
The POP-UP-Knowledge-Store in Weißwasser (Straße der Glasmacher 6-8 and thus in the immediate vicinity of the town hall) served as a place for experimentation and encounters to encourage curiosity and whet the appetite for more science. For five days a week, passers-by and local residents were able to visit the store at various times to find out about research results from Dresden, ask their questions or simply talk to the employee on site and consider what place the institution and research of TU Dresden actually occupies in Weißwasser. Over the course of the year, visitors' questions about science were answered and further developed in the form of a wide variety of events with stakeholders in Weißwasser and Dresden. Open tours and participation opportunities were available daily in the POP-UP-Knowledge-Store.
Why Weißwasser?
Weißwasser was selected as an exemplary rural area. Since the coal phase-out, the region has been undergoing major structural change. Both demographically and economically, Weißwasser is characteristic of other regions in Saxony, which is why findings and formats from the project can also be used for other regions in the long term. Last but not least, TU Dresden already has a wide range of contacts in the region, meaning that the project was able to draw on established local networks right from the start.
What did the local events achieve?
The POP-UP-WISSENSladen in Weißwasser provided important support in understanding technological change, and even more: it made offers for participation and invited people to join in. Visitors were able to find out how change is not only sweeping through Weißwasser and changing lives, but also what opportunities are hidden within it and where possibilities for co-design can be developed.