Biohistoricum
Research Archives for the History of Biology
Commitment to the past means prospectives for the future!
Tasks
The tasks of the Biohistoricum include systematizing, making available and exploring the various stocks such as partial estates, letters, illustrations and portraits, which have a reference to the history of biology in the German-speaking world. The own research library contains more than 50,000 volumes of books. The spectrum covers various life science disciplines (e.g. zoology, botany, evolutionary biology, medical history). In addition, the Biohistoricum is involved in the publication of the scientific series "Acta Biohistorica" in the Basilisken-Presse in the publisher Natur + Text [http://www.basilisken-presse.de/acta-biohistorica.html]. In addition, the execution of events and special exhibitions is one of the tasks.
History
The Biohistoricum was founded in 1998 as a museum and research archive for the history of biology in Neuburg an der Donau. Among others the "German Society for the History and Theory of Biology e.V." (DGGTB) was a major driver of the foundation. Since October 2008, the Biohistoricum is a central facility of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK). The DGGTB meets annually, alternately in Bonn and a selected other place. The annual conference took place in the ZFMK in 2019. Link to the program: https://www.geschichte-der-biologie.de/jahrestagungen/jahrestagung-2019/#Progr_Tab
Stocks
The Biohistoricum contains both scientific and private partial estates and offprint collections from German-speaking countries, as well as an extensive specialized library with hand-held collections of renowned biologists.
(Partial) estates (selected examples):
- Paul Buchner (1886–1976)
- Otto Bütschli (1848–1920)
- Carl Rudolf Burckhardt (1866−1908)
- Karl von Frisch (1886−1982)
- Ernst Florey (1927–1997)
- Paul Hoffmann (1931–2008)
- Werner Jacobs (1901−1971)
- Arne von Kraft (1928–2012)
- Heinz Eberhard Krampitz (1921–1991)
- Ingo Krumbiegel (1903–1990)
- Fritz Müller (1822−1897)
- Hermann Müller (1829−1883)
- Hans Querner (1921–2012)
- Siegfried Strugger (1906−1961)
- Otto Schoetensack (1850−1912)
- Georg Friedrich Leopold Tischler (1878−1955)
- Wolfgang Tischler (1913−2007)
- Wilhelm Troll (189 –1978)
Leibniz Working Group
The Biohistoricum is represented in the “AK-Archive” of the Leibniz Association. Here you can find the current publication of the working group (in German): https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/ueber-uns/neues/mediathek/publikationen/kultur-bewahren.html
