A fascinating person who knows how to translate parts of physics lessons into an international language without many words. A language everyone speaks.
DR. ERICH BÄUERLE
You are a marine physicist and a certified oceanographer. How does someone become that?
Even as a little boy, I was always fascinated and magically drawn to water. My parents had to come up with all sorts of tricks to keep me away from the nearby stream. The bubbling, gurgling, and splashing of the clear water captivated me time and again, despite being forbidden to go near it. Only autumn, with its early-setting darkness and cold, could manage to drive me into the warmth of our home at the agreed-upon time.
Later, when I started diving, I began studying the world beneath the water’s surface and was just as fascinated. In contrast, my rather dry physics studies in Tübingen did not make me particularly happy. I often felt like I was just reciting empty formulas from memory, without actually gaining tangible insights or true understanding. At that time, I realized that the pressure exerted by teaching staff often prevents students from asking questions or openly admitting when they don’t understand something.
My life path took a turn when I began studying oceanography in Kiel. With just 12 other students, I literally jumped into the deep end as part of the first class of a physical oceanography program in Kiel. In no time, we were working as assistants at sea, bringing me much closer to my favorite element. However, it wasn’t always easy—the demands were high, and the conditions were tough.
During this time, I noticed once again, as I spent long hours doing theoretical work on the computer and tackling complex, math-heavy coursework, that, like many other students, I often didn’t have the courage to ask questions when I didn’t understand something. Out of fear of receiving a bad grade, it was easier to simply memorize formulas rather than question them or risk saying something wrong. By the time I completed my PhD in 1981, I already knew that there were better and simpler ways to teach. After all, the practical side behind the formulas and calculations was incredibly exciting.
And so, I became a certified oceanographer.
Who needs an oceanographer/marine physicist?
The fields of application are very diverse. In the first years after earning my doctorate, I worked and conducted research at the Institute for Marine Science at Kiel University, focusing on issues in the North Atlantic. Later, I worked at the University of Konstanz, researching the effects of climate change on lakes.
Teaching has always brought me great joy—whether at universities in Kiel, Konstanz, and Stuttgart, at various schools, or as a volunteer director of the Institute for the Exploration and Protection of Waters (IESGO). Unlike my former professors, I try to find different approaches and ways of presenting educational material, breaking down complex topics so that anyone can understand them.
A key experience for me was working on a project with children in Denmark. I realized how much more open-minded they are in approaching topics and how much fun they have learning when they aren’t under pressure.
Throughout my career, I have mostly worked independently. I have conducted environmental assessments, managed an exhibition on water phenomena in Moislingen, built an interactive space for experiencing dynamics and wave phenomena in Oslo, created the Water Sound Trail at Naturum Göhrde, and, in 2014, helped develop Das Blaue Wunder in Hexenwasser Söll. Currently, I am working on an exciting mobile concept for schools.
You helped design, invent, and create Das Blaue Wunder in Hexenwasser Söll. What exactly is Das Blaue Wunder?
In Das Blaue Wunder, the phenomena of moving water are brought to life.
We experience water in different forms of movement:
– flowing – rotating – oscillating – swirling – dripping – splashing –
often interacting with movable or rigid materials such as air, clay, sand, and metal.
Water’s great mobility gives it the ability to respond sensitively to external influences. This characteristic is what we aim to explore.
The exhibits and experimental setups in Das Blaue Wunder allow visitors to initiate processes that exemplify water’s behavior. Through observation and direct experience, new perspectives and insights emerge. The experiments are meant to bridge the gap between what we see in the exhibit and how water behaves in nature.
Even the word Wunder (wonder) hints at what this is all about. The German word wundern comes from winden (to wind), wenden (to turn), verwirren (to confuse), and verflechten (to intertwine). A wonder is unfathomable and groundless. (Etymological Dictionary)
There is only one way to truly understand the language of water, and that begins with our own mindset. Can I forget everything I know, everything I have learned, even just for a moment? Can I be free of expectations, free of assumptions? And if I am lucky, I may find myself in awe and wonder. But if I try to hold onto it, it slips away. (Matthias Schenk)
Every summer, you come to Hexenwasser. What can we learn from you during those days? Is this a physics lesson?
A visit to Das Blaue Wunder is not meant to be a physics lecture on fluid dynamics—although many of the phenomena presented here could indeed be found in a hydrologist’s or hydrodynamicist’s textbook. Instead, we aim to discover new ways of understanding this knowledge together.
The discoverers behind these phenomena—such as Archimedes, Prandtl, or von Kármán—undoubtedly devoted great effort to understanding these natural processes and distilled their findings into concise, precise explanations. But the challenging journey that led to these insights is usually hidden from us. While this might seem helpful, it can also deprive us of a meaningful connection to the subject, as we miss the sensory experience that is essential for true comprehension.
As a result, when people encounter natural phenomena, they often apply a simplified perspective, which may either lead them to consciously ignore details or, worse, accept oversimplified explanations as absolute truths—leading to inevitable misunderstandings.
I want to present the phenomena of moving water in a way that is simple and tangible. The experience of Das Blaue Wunder should open your eyes, ears, and all your senses. You should leave Das Blaue Wunder with a new perspective, a fresh way of seeing things, and a deeper connection to nature.
Maybe it will be raining when you step outside, and suddenly, you notice how wildly the raindrops dance in a puddle. You hear what a wonderful concert a heavy rainstorm creates. You realize just how exciting a rainy day in nature can be.
You can experience this all summer long at Das Blaue Wunder. And on certain days, I will be there to answer your questions and inspire new ideas.
What fascinates you more about your work—the element of water itself, or the people and their reactions to your projects and experiments?
Water fascinates me deeply, but what fascinates me even more are children.
These little humans come into the world ready to make it better—with curiosity, a thirst for discovery, and without prejudice. And we adults… we take that away from them.
With children, knowledge still comes from the heart.
What they give when they learn is more than we could ever hope for.
Just watch them closely.
