Research under Restrictions (1918–1939)

Cut off from the world

With the establishment of the Zoological Institute, Franz Eilhard Schulze was given the specific task of devoting himself to evolutionary research, the foundations for which had been laid by Charles Darwin in his work *On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection*.

Overall, science in Germany – and thus also at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – was largely cut off from international exchange. In the 1920s, our scientists – research at the museum had long been dominated by men – therefore worked primarily on objects that were already present in the collection. 

Taxidermy as a scientific craft

The museum’s taxidermy workshops had a significant influence on the interwar period. Many iconic objects were created during this time – from early displays of genuine dinosaur skeletons to taxidermy specimens that are still regarded as benchmarks worldwide today. The current exhibition, ‘Highlights of Taxidermy’, showcases some of these historic works. It reveals just how closely craftsmanship and natural history research were intertwined even back then.

A particularly impressive example dates from 1935: the dermoplast of the gorilla Bobby. He arrived at Berlin Zoo in 1928 at the age of two and died seven years later of appendicitis. That very same year, the Berlin taxidermists Karl Kaestner and Gerhard Schröder created a specimen that is still regarded as a masterpiece today. It impresses with its great technical precision as well as a specially developed technique: the partial paraffin treatment of body parts with little hair.

In this process, they replaced the water contained in the tissue with substances such as paraffin or polyethylene glycol to prevent shrinkage and preserve the finest structures. This method set new standards – and helps ensure that Bobby continues to move people to this day.

The rise to power of the National Socialists and its consequences

When the National Socialists came to power in January 1933, the museum underwent a fundamental transformation. Expeditions were now frequently planned with a focus on racial ideology. The naturalist Ernst Schäfer travelled to Tibet, and his third expedition was expressly supported by SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler. Otto Schulz-Kampfhenkel, who collected specimens for the museum in Africa and Brazil, also joined the NSDAP as early as 1933 and, as a member of the SS, collaborated on political projects—some of which were war-related—under the guise of so-called geographical research.

National Socialist ideology was also evident in the treatment of long-standing colleagues who were classified as Jewish under the Nuremberg Laws enacted in 1935. The renowned speleologist Benno Wolf, who had worked as a guest at the museum for many years, was initially denied access to the library and later to the entire museum. From then on, the zoologist Walther Arndt personally brought him the literature he needed to his home. Wolf was deported in 1942 and died in 1943 at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. His cave archive was confiscated by the SS and used for war purposes.

Walther Arndt himself was executed on 26 June 1944 in Brandenburg-Görden prison for ‘defeatist remarks’. A commemorative plaque on the main building now honours his memory.

“Brachiosaurus brancai” stands – for the time being

In 1937, the preparation and assembly of the largest dinosaur skeleton from Tendaguru were completed: the ‘Brachiosaurus brancai’ (now known as Giraffatitan brancai). The glass-roofed courtyard, which originally displayed whale skeletons and large mammals, became the Dinosaur Hall.

The skeleton has since been dismantled and rebuilt several times, most recently in 2009, to incorporate new scientific findings into its reconstruction. To this day, it remains one of the exhibits that offers profound insights into Earth’s history, colonial contexts and diverse forms of knowledge.