  Alexander von Humboldt und Aimé Bonpland in der Urwaldhütte Eduard Ender, um 1850 Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften  Alexander von Humboldt beim Botanisieren in einer Urwaldhütte Friedrich Georg Weitsch, 1806 Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Nationalgalerie  Alexander von Humboldt, 1855 Emma Gaggiotti-Richards Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften  Alexander von Humboldt, 1859 Julius Schrader Schiller Nationalmuseum Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach am Neckar |
 |
Alexander von Humboldt Networks of Knowledge 15 September 1999 - 9 January 2000      
    On June 5, 1799, the 29-year-old Alexander von Humboldt embarked on a five-year research expedition to Spain’s South American colonial empire at that time, which today includes Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico. Never before was a research explorer away for so long at his own expense and without political backing. In the malaria-infested rain forest and in climbing active volcanoes, he placed himself in life-threatening situations in order to arrive at new scientific findings. 200 years after his departure on this journey, the exhibition Alexander von Humboldt – Networks of Knowledge is showing how current the thinking and research of this great cosmopolite still is today. In 12 rooms, the exhibition follows the individual stops in Humboldt’s life and combines them with themes and questions which concerned him throughout his life such as ecology, human rights, the origin of rocks, and inquiries into the energy of life. The exhibition depicts Alexander von Humboldt as a modern manager as well as a research explorer and innovative scientist. It provides a fascinating insight into the man who did not perceive the world in terms of individual sciences, but rather as an integrated whole. Works of art, video presentations, and sound installations make the exhibition an intellectual and sensual experience. Many of the approximately 600 exhibits were gathered especially for the exhibition from countries visited by Humboldt. Rooms of the Journeys The 12 exhibition stops The name Humboldt The name Alexander von Humboldt appears on a world map more often than that of any other individual. Thousands of objects, places, institutions, and phenomena have been named after Humboldt. "Boredom Castle", Jewish Salons, and First Journeys This room deals with the enormous influence on the brothers, Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt: teachers and persons of respect, the circle involving the Berlin Enlightenment, especially the Jewish salons; the first educational journeys with Georg Forster, meetings with the botanist Karl Ludwig Willdenow, Christoph Lichtenberg, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and others. Empirical Analyst and Modern Manager Humboldt earned great respect as a modern manager, researcher, and inventor. His method of working is graphically illustrated here: by gathering and evaluating material that was already known and accessible, he made new discoveries, recognized essential facts, and made certain structures visible. Neptunism, Energy of Life, and Nervous Impulses The controversies involving the origin of rocks and inquiries into the energy of life were the major topics of the day in the natural sciences. Humboldt not only carried out Luigi Galvanis’ s famous frog leg experiment, he also attempted to examine the reaction of nerves and muscle fibers in his own body. Travels The purpose, significance, and kinds of travels are explained here: voyages of exploration to extend national territories, research expeditions to expand and exploit the colonies, educational journeys, travel equipment, transportation problems, and work while traveling. Map depictions from the various eras provide a look at the world in transition. Leaving Home to Understand the World Alexander von Humboldt prepared for his great trip for six years. Visitors become acquainted with the original scientific instruments and their practical application. Journey to America The thematic focus of the trip that was concluded in the USA is presented in nine stops: the exploration of the rivers and primeval forests, immorality and oppression, volcano exploration and phytogeography, and the "search for gold that bordered on insanity". Time in Paris After his trip through Latin America, Humboldt lived primarily in Paris. He developed the isothermal concept in the French capital. He met with Napoleon here, as well as with the young Simón Bolivar and Louis Jacques Daguerre, whose invention of photography he called a "masterpiece". The Russian-Siberian Journey The trip was a long-planned counterpart to the Latin American expedition. Humboldt carried out the trip from Berlin to St. Petersburg, Moscow, the northern Ural Mountains, Tobolsk and the Altai Mountains, to the border of Chinese Dzungaria. Prussian Berlin In 1827 Humboldt returned to Berlin from Paris for financial reasons. He took on the task of bringing the "cultural wasteland" of the Prussian capital to bloom. Humboldt’s university lectures and public talks on physical geography became famous. It was here that he began to write his five-volume "Cosmos". When the second volume appeared in 1874, customers fought for the first copies. The Humboldt Network Humboldt was a communicator like no other. The names of those with whom he was in contact could fill telephone books. He wrote more letters than Goethe. One estimates their number to be about 50,000. Humboldt’s influence in science is still felt today. Humboldt’s Cosmos Audio excerpts from the "Cosmos lectures", quotations from Humboldt’s journals and works, and a library with all of Humboldt’s books conclude the journey into Alexander von Humboldt’s life. Curators: Frank Holl and Kai Reschke „I will collect plants and fossils, be able to make astronomical observations with splendid instruments, and I will chemically dissect the air. But all of this is not the main purpose of my trip. My attention will be constantly directed towards the harmony that exists in the combination of all forces and the influence of non-living creations on the living plant and animal worlds!" Alexander von Humboldt A cooperative effort between the Goethe Institute for the preservation of the German language abroad and promotion of international cultural cooperation (Munich), the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), and the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Bonn). In cooperation with the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, the Deutsches Museum (Munich), the Natural History Museum of the Humboldt University in Berlin, and assisted by the Berliner Festspiele / Das Neue Berlin and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supported by funds from the Hauptstadt Kulturfond. The exhibition is under the auspices of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Prof. Dr. Roman Herzog (no longer in office).
email: Stephan Andreae, Project Manager |
||||||
produced and copyright by kunst- und ausstellungshalle der bundesrepublik deutschland
