BODY WORLDS Amsterdam is part of a series of exhibitions created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens. The original incarnation was an internationally successful touring exhibition that has been shown in more than 100 cities in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. Since the start in 1995, around 40 million people have visited the human body exhibition.
Dr. Gunther von Hagens invented the process of plastination at the University of Heidelberg in 1977. Plastination is the process where real human bodies are preserved for scientific research and medical education. While his work has been copied countless times, his own work is still the most spectacular.
The Amsterdam location of BODY WORLDS is a permanent exhibition. Over the years the content of the exhibition changed a few times. Themes ranging from health, sports, diet and the anatomy of animals have all been a part of the exhibition in the past. Right now the focus is on happiness and the effects of happiness on the human body.