Die Physikalische Sammlung (Physical Collection)

Abstract

At the end of the 17th century, the collection was established through the acquisition of Leiden instrumentmaker Musschenbroek’s collection. Its aim was to demonstrate physical phenomena. Until the end of the 18th century, the collection was used and extended by a number of professors from various university departments in teaching mechanics, hydrostatics, optics and electrostatics. The foundation of the Institute for Mathematics and Physics in 1817 and the appointment of Christian Ludwig Gerling to the position of Professor for Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy strengthened the subject considerably. Gerling extended the collection mainly with devices for geodesy and astronomy, with more instruments being added in the time up to the middle of the 20th century. Today, the collection allows an insight into the history of scientific instruments as witnesses of the past.