Archival holdings
Estates (holding identifier: N)
Personal estates of researchers containing letters, manuscripts and working papers
Access
The collections are reference collections and can only be viewed on site. Access to the archive is by prior appointment only, to be arranged via email: archiv@mfn.berlin
If you have any questions regarding responsibility or availability, we will be happy to advise you by email. It may take up to 14 days to process enquiries.
Due to the museum’s ongoing development, there may be temporary restrictions on access. The estates are not expected to be accessible until the fourth quarter of 2027.
Overview
The archive’s collections comprise personal and academic records of researchers who had close ties to the Museum für Naturkunde. They document individual lives and careers, as well as the development of scientific research.
An estate is defined as material that contains personal documents in addition to academic records. The boundaries between private and academic activities are often blurred. Documents of a predominantly institutional or administrative nature, on the other hand, are generally preserved in the general records.
These include, amongst other things:
- Personal documents
- Letters, diaries and notes
- Private records and correspondence
- Academic documents
- Manuscripts and working materials
- Research notes and drafts
- Materials relating to teaching and publishing
- Estates of notable figures
- including those of Ernst Ahl (1898–1943), Walther Arndt (1891–1944),
Leopold von Buch (1774–1853), Friedrich Dahl (1856–1929) and Maria Dahl (1872–1972),
Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795–1876), Franz Hilgendorf (1839–1904),
Ilse Jahn (1922–2010), Karl Kaestner (1895–1983), Willy Kükenthal (1861–1922),
Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein (1780–1857), Karl August Möbius (1825–1908),
Oskar Neumann (1867–1946), Heinrich Prell (1888–1962),
Georg Schweinfurth (1836–1925), Friedrich Sellow (1789–1831),
Erwin Stresemann (1889–1972), Hugo Strunz (1910–2006) - as well as numerous other researchers from zoology, geology, palaeontology and related disciplines
- including those of Ernst Ahl (1898–1943), Walther Arndt (1891–1944),
- State of cataloguing and diversity
- Collections that have been catalogued and some that are still being processed
- Materials from the 18th to the 21st century
The estates offer a nuanced insight into academic networks, working methods and individual research perspectives, and are a key source for the history of science and collections.
Contact
Mandy Ullmann
Archive Management
Email: mandy.ullmann@mfn.berlin
Telephone: +49 30 889140-8519