Museum, Science Center and Public Meeting Place: Foundation stone laid for the Forum Deutsche Sprache
With a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony and the laying of the foundation stone, construction officially began on March 18, 2026, for the Forum Deutsche Sprache (German Language Forum) in Mannheim. Our design for the new building was selected as the winning entry in an architectural competition in 2021. Completion is planned for 2028.
Designed as part museum, part science center, the Forum Deutsche Sprache in Mannheim is a unique building where science and society engage in dialogue. The Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache (Leibniz Institute for the German Language) will use it as an exhibition space and interactive research facility. It creates a public meeting place where interactive presentations, discussions, and ongoing research allow visitors to experience the nature of language, its omnipresence and diversity.
The new build, endowed by Klaus Tschira Stiftung, creates an open forum, a floating space between inside and outside – lobby and Meßplatz square – that provides a place where visitors, employees, and people from the neighborhood come together.
At the foundation stone ceremony, Christian Specht, Mayor of Mannheim, said:
"Right in the heart of Mannheim, at the intersection between Neckarstadt and downtown, the Forum Deutsche Sprache is taking shape as a place dedicated not only to our language, but to democratic exchange, dialogue, and social diversity."
Prof. Dr. Henning Lobin, Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute for the German Language, commented:
"We need the Forum Deutsche Sprache now more than ever, because language, and understanding its impact, are essential to keeping a society together, especially in times of rapid technological change."
Fredrik Werner, the responsible Partner at HENN, added:
"The distinctive look of the new building is defined by its layered façade, symbolizing the complexity of language. It features a transparent outer shell of ETFE film that wraps around the structure and protects the wooden elements beneath."
