Einstein realised that space and time are not absolute but behave depending on the movement of the observer. The world has been relative to us since then.

To this day, many scientific achievements are based on Einstein’s ideas: from the devel-opment of quantum mechanics by Heisenberg and Schrödinger, to the work of the physicist Theodor Hänsch, who received the Nobel Prize in 2005 for laser measure-ment. It was the 65th Nobel Prize awarded to a German scientist.

The unique scientific landscape in Germany has contributed significantly to these achievements. It allows for the close cooperation between universities, industry and non-university research institutes, such as the Fraunhofer and the Max Planck Institutes. The results can be found not only in textbooks but also in daily life: without general relativity, for instance, no navigation system would be precise.

“The Theory of Relativity” is the last out of a total of six sculptures forming the Walk of Ideas for the football world championship – a walking tour of ideas from Germany. The individual inventions stand for the creativity and rich imagination of composers and writers, scientists and researchers, and engineers and inventors.

More German ideas are concealed within the sculptures themselves: they are all made of Neopor®, an innovative plastic material by BASF, and coated with a new metallic paint developed by BASF Coatings.

Find more about the "Walk of Ideas"