Skip to main content

Tour on history of science

Welcome to the tour on history of science of the green health Campus Berlin-Buch. On this approximately one-hour walk, we will present personalities, their most important stations in life, and the contributions they have made to medicine and science and to the Campus Berlin-Buch.

Rundgang Wissenschaftsgeschichte Karte Berlin-Buch 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 13 14 15 16 17

The tour starts at the Torhaus, entrance Robert-Rössle-Straße and ends at the exit Lindenberger Weg. The dashed line on the map shows you the shortest way back to the Torhaus from there.

The Berlin-Buch health region in northeast Berlin has been known for its clinics, biotechnology companies and research institutions for more than a hundred years. Since the days of the German Empire, employees on the Campus Berlin-Buch have lived through five very different political systems. What has remained constant has been the close connection between research and clinical science, which was part of the original vision of the campus and remains at the heart of work here today.

Most of our current research is basic in nature, aiming to clarify central questions related to basic mechanisms in the areas of molecular medicine, genome research and cell biology in health and disease. Our clinical focus involves cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, diseases of the nervous system and immunology. The campus hosts several institutes: the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz-Association (MDC), the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP), the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), the Charité-University Medicine Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). Other partners include a range of institutions and biotechnology companies. In all, the campus is home to three thousand employees who are working on questions relating to the molecular basis of health and disease and new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

These individuals are thus part of a long tradition of scientists who have dedicated their lives to the search for knowledge – either by working directly here on campus, or through other close connections between their life and work and the campus. They have received many prestigious honors, buildings on campus bear their names, and in front of the building are busts or panels dedicated to their memory.

Science is made by people. Given its long history, the Campus Berlin-Buch should represent the fact that science and scientists should not only carry out research in a responsible way, but should also concern themselves with ethical issues related to society. This is best served when the history and biographies of the scientists and people who worked here are made transparent, open, and accessible – including when their actions reveal that they were fallible, in light of the times and realities they faced.

We would like to introduce some of these personalities, key points of their lives and the contributions they have made to medicine and science and to the Campus Berlin-Buch.

Please enjoy your stay on campus!

1

Friedrich Jung

Friedrich Jung was a pharmacologist and drug researcher. A copper-colored plaque in the passageway of the gatehouse honors his work.

2

Marguerite Vogt

The cancer researcher and virologist provided important insights into poliomyelitis, among other diseases. Her bust stands in front of the library.

3

Karl Lohmann

The biochemist and physician discovered the universal energy store adenosine triphosphate (ATP). His bust is at the Karl Lohmann House.

4

Otto Warburg

The biochemist and physician received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931. His bust is at the Otto Warburg House.

5

Arnold Graffi

The physician and cancer researcher provided insights into how tumors form, among other things. His bust stands at the Arnold Graffi House.

6

Erwin Negelein

The biochemist discovered the "Negelein ester" and developed biochemical analysis methods. His bust stands at the Erwin Negelein House.

7

Max Delbrück

The mathematician, physicist and geneticist received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1969. His bust stands in front of the Max Delbrück Communications Center.

8

Hermann von Helmholtz

The polymath is the namesake of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. His bust stands in front of the Hermann von Helmholtz House.

9

Detlev Ganten

The physician and pharmacologist was, among other things, founding director of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC). The bust is located in front of the Max Delbrück House.

10

Marthe Louise Vogt

The pharmacologist and neuroscientist made contributions to the understanding of adrenaline, among other things. Her bust stands at the Marthe Louise Vogt House.

11

Nikolai Wladimirovich Timoféeff-Ressovsky

The biologist and geneticist Nikolai W. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, together with Max Delbrück and Karl Günther Zimmer, provided the definition of a gene that is still valid today. His bust stands at the building named after him.

12

Walter Friedrich

The biophysicist Walter Friedrich was, among other things, president of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR and laid the foundation for X-ray structure analysis. His bust stands at the Walter Friedrich House.

13a

Oskar Vogt

The physician and brain researcher was founding director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research. His bust stands at the Oskar and Cécile Vogt House.

13b

Cécile Vogt

The physician and brain researcher is considered a co-founder of architectural brain research. Her bust on the Oskar and Cécile Vogt House.

14

Robert Rössle

The pathologist is viewed critically today because of his role during the National Socialist era. His bust stands at the campus-side entrance to the Käthe-Beutler-Haus.

15

Hermann Joseph Muller

Biologist and geneticist Hermann Joseph Muller received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1946. A plaque hangs next to the main entrance of the Oskar and Cécile Vogt House.

16

Minerva

A bust of Minerva, patroness of the arts and sciences and guardian of knowledge, hangs above the main entrance to the Oskar and Cécile Vogt House.

17

Max Rubner

The physiologist is considered the founder of experimental hygiene, among other things. His bust stands at the Max Rubner House. A bust of Max Rubner stands in front of the house of the same name.