Ernst-Haeckel-Haus
The Ernst-Haeckel-Haus, built in the Italian country house style as a “Villa Medusa” in 1882-3, was the residence and workplace of the biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919). The house together with its archive and memorial museum were opened as a research site external to the university on the 31st of October 1920, one year after his death. While it was previously a commemorative site, it now fosters critical perspectives on the history of science in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Today the Ernst-Haeckel-Haus is an institution of the Faculty of Biological Sciences and houses the Chair for the History and Philosophy of Science as well as a museum and an archive. To mark Ernst Haeckel’s centenary (2019), the building underwent a renovation and restoration in the years 2017-2021.