On the way in the German Oxford

Nuclear fusion, the first uranium reactor, the electron microscope – a surprising number of scientifc discoveries and inventions have emerged from Dahlem.

From 1912, the elegant residential district evolved into a mecca for creative brains from around the world. Unparalleled in Germany, the first modern research campus emerged here on the green field site. Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner were just some of the researchers who worked or lived in Dahlem. The stimulus was provided by the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the predecessor of the Max Planck Society, which now continues the tradition together with the Freie Universität.

The tour starts in Harnack House, which was built in 1929 as an international guesthouse. It follows the footsteps of Nobel Prize winners, leads to milestones in the history of science and provides surprising insights into the architecture: most of the Wilhelminian-style buildings were in fact high-tech laboratories. They were the birthplace of modern molecular biology and nuclear physics. In addition to the general tour, themed tours on the history of biology, chemistry and physics can also be individually arranged and booked. The historic reading room in the archive of the Max Planck Society can also be visited on request. It is located in the building of the former Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Cell Physiology of 1930.

Tours

The overview tour 100 years of science in the "German Oxford" we offer in the summer months on every first Sunday of the month for individual visitors.

• Dates: April to October, every first Sunday of the month, 11:00 am
• Meeting point: Harnack-Haus, Ihnestr. 16-20, Berlin-Dahlem
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Language: German
• Contribution: 5 €, 3 € discounted (Students and jobless people)

Theme tours for Groups

Besides of the overview tour 100 years of science in the "German Oxford" we also offer cutom theme tours for groups.

• Duration: 90 minutes
• Languages: German, English, Italian
• Contribution: 120 € (German), 140 € (other languages), 20% discount for cooperating institutions
• Group size: up to 25 persons