FACULTY OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE FACULTY OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

The collection of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy comprises instruments and measuring devices from all subfields of the discipline, with a focus on the period from the mid-18th century to the end of the 19th century.

In total, the collection contains almost 2,000 objects, the majority of which are kept for use in teaching in the physics lecture hall building. Around 200 exhibits are displayed in the exhibition cases on the 3rd floor of the Physics Institute. From thermometers and barometers to rangefinders and spectrometers, and on to various current and voltage measuring devices—some still with scales from a time before the units commonly used for these quantities today existed—the collection offers an insight into the history of physics.

Among the exhibits are renowned pieces, including several instruments developed by Hermann von Helmholtz, as well as devices associated with Robert Bunsen, Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, and William Thomsen (Lord Kelvin). Since the collection also still possesses the historical inventory books, some past experiments and experimental setups can be reconstructed precisely.