München 2019 – scientific programme

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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 3: Physicists and their instruments

GP 3.2: Talk

Monday, March 18, 2019, 17:00–17:30, HS 9

Nature in Seclusion. Collections of Physical Instruments in Monasteries — •Bloemer Julia — Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany

A monastery is not the first place to expect collections of scientific instruments. Nevertheless, it was one of the most important places of Southern German scholarship in the eighteenth century. Latest libraries and extensive collections were used not only to teach novices and laymen but also for thorough observations. These collections of physical devices differ from other natural collections in many aspects. They do not seek systematization nor completeness but seem to be just the sum of instruments with single demands. This talk explores the question why a monastery needed a scientific collection and how the religious context influenced it. Were monastic collections different from others?