Miaugrrrchchch: Kitty Q is throwing a farewell party at the Dresden Technical Collections!

Last chance to free Kitty Q: The escape room “Kitty Q – A Quantum Adventure” by the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat at the Technische Sammlungen Dresden will bid farewell on October 31 and November 1, 2026, with extra game slots, a gaming lounge, and Halloween face painting for kids. For the past 2.5 years, the cute, half-dead Kitty Q has been whisking children, teens, school classes, and families away into the crazy world of quantum physics. Around 20,000 visitors have explored the colorful quantum apartment and solved puzzles. For the Technische Sammlungen’s farewell celebration, the mysterious box will open for a grand finale before the building closes for approximately three years for an energy-efficient renovation.

Halloween in the Quantum World

Is Kitty Q dead or alive? Anyone who wants to find out will have one last chance on the final weekend in October to climb into the mysterious box at the Technical Collections in Dresden and solve the puzzles hidden in the quantum apartment. Whether stacking waves, solving puzzles with cold chips, or making a quantum leap: exciting challenges await in the crazy quantum world. Five session times per day—at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.—offer more opportunities than usual to rescue the cute Kitty Q from its half-dead state. Each session lasts about an hour; the adventure is recommended for ages 11 and up. Registration on Saturday and Sunday is available exclusively at the museum ticket office—first come, first served. A maximum of 30 people can participate per session.

But the quantum world awaits even outside the escape room: In the “Kitty Q Gaming Lounge” , visitors can try out the award-winning game app that inspired the escape room. And since it’s Halloween, the appropriate spooky atmosphere is a must: At the face-painting station, the faces of fans young and old will be transformed into the likeness of the half-dead stuffed animal. For the big farewell celebration, the Technical Collections will be open on both days from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Regular museum admission applies.

20,000 People on the Trail of Kitty Q

Since its opening in April 2024, the escape room centered on Kitty Q and the phenomena of quantum physics has captivated audiences. A total of 388 large groups—mostly school classes—367 private groups and families, and twelve youth initiation ceremonies have booked the experience (as of October 21, 2026). The freely available game slots were also very popular. In total, around 20,000 people will have visited the Quantum Apartment by the time it closes.

“We wanted to show that quantum physics doesn’t have to be dry and complicated, but can spark curiosity and be really fun. The fact that around 20,000 people have visited Kitty Q is a tremendous success. We’re especially pleased that, through the escape room, we were able to reach many school classes and spark their enthusiasm for current research,” says Matthias Vojta, Dresden spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat – Complexity, Topology, and Dynamics in Quantum Matter.

Germany’s first quantum physics escape room for children and teens transforms a famous thought experiment known as Schrödinger’s Cat into a walk-through game world. In four rooms, teams solve 17 puzzles based on real quantum physics phenomena and applications. But you don’t have to be a math or physics genius to play. The project was developed by the ctd.qmat Cluster of Excellence in collaboration with the Technische Sammlungen Dresden and award-winning game designer Philipp Stollenmayer. The game can be played in German and English. In the German version, players are guided by the voice of Dresden comedian Olaf Schubert. The patron is Michael Kretschmer, Minister President of the Free State of Saxony.

Kitty Q Says Goodbye

The temporary closure of the Dresden Technical Collections due to energy-efficiency renovations also means, for the time being, the end of the escape room at its current location.

“Kitty Q is one of our most popular attractions. Residents have publicly advocated for the escape room to remain open during the renovation of the Ernemann Building. We very much regret that there isn’t enough space for it at our interim location in the Landhaus. Together with the ctd.qmat Cluster of Excellence, we’re working to find a temporary solution for Kitty Q,” says Roland Schwarz, director of the Dresden Technical Collections.

But for now, it’s time to seize the opportunity to solve puzzles, play, and celebrate Kitty Q together one last time.

Kitty Q: The Finale at a Glance

When: Saturday , October 31, and Sunday, November 1, 2026; museum open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where: Technische Sammlungen Dresden, Junghansstraße 1–3, Schandauer Straße entrance, 01277 Dresden

Escape Room on the 2nd floor: Game sessions at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.; duration approx. one hour; recommended for ages 11 and up; maximum 30 people per session.
Register directly at the museum ticket office; limited capacity.

Gaming Lounge Kitty Q on the 2nd floor: Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Museum admission: regular 8 euros, reduced 6 euros; free for children under seven. Family tickets available.

For more information: www.tsd.de
Want to pet a quantum kitty? katzeq.app
Kitty Q on Wikipedia? de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katze_Q

About the Kitty Q Escape Room

The “Kitty Q” escape room opened on April 25, 2024, at the Technische Sammlungen Dresden; it is operated by the ctd.qmat Cluster of Excellence and funded by the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State governments. The project is funded by tax revenues based on the budget approved by the members of the Saxon State Parliament and supported by DRESDEN-concept e.V., a research alliance of the TUD Dresden University of Technology and regional research and cultural institutions, and SAX-QT, the Saxon Network for Quantum Technologies. The project’s patron is Michael Kretschmer, Minister President of the Free State of Saxony. The escape room “Kitty Q – A Quantum Adventure” was inspired by Schrödinger’s cat, a famous thought experiment in quantum physics. It was modeled after the game app of the same name by ctd.qmat and award-winning game designer Philipp Stollenmayer, which has won international awards. Kitty Q now even has its own German Wikipedia entry. With the escape room, the digital game was further developed in collaboration with Stollenmayer into a real-world gaming environment, available in both German and English. In the German version, the voice of Saxon comedian Olaf Schubert guides players through the “quantum apartment,” where different rules apply than in everyday life.

About the ctd.qmat Cluster of Excellence

The Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat—Complexity, Topology, and Dynamics in Quantum Matter—at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg and TUD Dresden University of Technology—researches and develops novel quantum materials with tailor-made properties. Approximately 300 scientists from more than 30 countries are laying the groundwork for the technologies of the future at the intersection of physics, chemistry, and materials science. In 2026, the cluster began its second funding period under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State governments—with an expanded focus on the dynamics of quantum processes.

Media contact:

Katja Lesser
Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat
Press Officer
+49 351 463 33496