Ask HN: Places in the UK / Europe Related to computers
9 pointsby sailorganymede2 days ago11 comments
  • bergiean hour ago
    Berlin Museum of Technology has a Zuse Z1 replica among other things

    Konrad Zuse finished his Z1 in 1938. The computer was freely programmable. It worked by controlling mechanical switching elements that pushed metal pins into two different positions: position “0” and position “1.” This binary principle is still the basis of every computer.

    https://technikmuseum.berlin/en/exhibitions/permanent-exhibi...

  • dcminter14 hours ago
    I'm not specifically recommending them as I haven't been (and I often find museum exhibitions lacklustre) but these are on my list to check out next time I'm in the UK in the appropriate areas:

    Manchester is where the important early computer development in the UK occurred; Turing spent a lot of time working with the Manchester Baby: https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/meet-ba...

    Reading was Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)'s centre in the UK. While it was an American company they had a huge estate here. I have a soft spot for their machines so I'm curious to see what this small museum managed to pull together - I know they reached out in some of the relevant Facebook groups for personal stories of DEC and their machines: https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/reading%E2%80%99s-...

  • TartHint543 hours ago
    Try the National Museum of Computing on the same site for live Colossus and Bombe demos and London’s Science Museum Information Age gallery for 200 years of communications tech
  • theGeatZhopa2 days ago
    I wanted to tell you about computer museums in Germany, but then I've found a list of computer museums of the world at wikipedia:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer_museums

    In Germany we've quite a few more or less good equiped museums.. The one in Stuttgart, South of Germany, is located at the University and is quite interesting. May be the upper List will be of good inspiration for you!

    • digikata5 hours ago
      The Video Game Museum is a smaller museum in Berlin https://www.computerspielemuseum.de/, but it has a lot of fun early history personal gaming equipment, with playable units. And including a lot of euro gaming and (at the time of my visit) running demoscene items I knew little to nothing about.
      • theGeatZhopa4 hours ago
        especially the demos are (over-all) astonishing! I still remember the cracks made by phrozen crew and razor 1911 in the '90ties. They incorporated demos into their cracks of a few dozen Kb - that was awesome! What an audiovisual experience! That was my first time I heard about the demoscene :)
  • lauriega day ago
    The National Museum of Computing (next to but completely separate from Bletchly Park) is fantastic.

    Definitely book a tour if you go. Speaking to the volunteers about how they used the machines on display is a fantastic way to experience part of the living history of computing.

  • rahimnathwani9 hours ago
    The (paid) PowerUp exhibit at the Science Museum in London:

    https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/power

  • gaddersa day ago
    https://retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/ ?
    • thorina day ago
      Not sure why this has been downvoted. This place is excellent and you won't be disappointed. Not far from Cambridge and Bletchley park in American terms.
  • rlupi16 hours ago
    In Switzerland, I recommend enter.ch. It has an extensive collection of consumer electronics, computing devices, and proper computers.

    It reminds me of the computing museum near Google main campus in Mountain View, California.

  • slartibardfast0a day ago
    To add to the delight of tnmoc, https://computermuseums.eu/ might be of interest.

    And from a more local angle & purely for a lovely day out, may I recommend a trip to Cork City and a wander through George Boole’s old stomping ground in UCC.

    Enjoy reconnecting!

    • decide1000a day ago
      HomeComputerMuseum, Helmond (Netherlands) is a very very very good one. They have hundreds of historical pieces, some very unique, WHICH YOU CAN PLAY WITH!
  • sloakena day ago
    Bletchley park is great. Consider it a full day.

    Cambridge has a bunch of computer stuff. I think Raspberry Pi started there.

  • leo_dard2 days ago
    [dead]