The board of Kutxa Fundazioa has voted on the possibility of delaying the definitive closure of San Sebastián's Eureka! Science Museum by two years, a closure initially announced for the end of this June. This decision means its closure will be postponed until 2028, coinciding with the launch of the new scientific dissemination space that the foundation will open in Tabakalera.
This moratorium comes after strong mobilization from the scientific community and a signature campaign that gathered around 14,000 endorsements. It also responds to the step taken by San Sebastián's mayor, Jon Insausti, who formally requested that the center remain open until a real alternative was in place.
“"We are literally amazed by the new scenario. We are, as you can imagine, overwhelmed. I thank all the people who understood the message and the terrible loss it would be to close a museum like ours."
Múgica celebrated that a new horizon is now opening, as the moratorium provides “two years of leeway.” The science communicator argues that the goal is to save a model of dissemination that has no substitute and reminds that the future Atenea space in Tabakalera “may be interesting, but it does not replace an interactive museum of 8,000 square meters with a planetarium, workshops, and a consolidated trajectory with schools, families, and associations.”
“"Donostia is a city of science, but there must be science in the city, and Eureka guarantees that."
For its part, Kutxa Fundazioa stated in a communiqué that it is “sensitive” to public interest and is “internally analyzing possible future options.” The foundation has reaffirmed its “willingness to collaborate” and its commitment to the “transformative project” Atenea in Tabakalera, which, it argues, “will mark a before and after.”
