Blog Posts
How Old Is It?
Replacing a Tower Stone-by-Stone
Today we visited the so-called witches tower (although related to witchcraft). It was originally a corner pillar of the old Heidelberg city walls, used for defense and oversight of the community. The tower now joins two University of Heidelberg buildings that take exist in place of the old city walls. While the structure itself is substantial and invokes the mysticism of the Middle Ages, it is otherwise unimposing. The intriguing part about the tower is its persistence in the city.
Our tour guides said they often get the question, “How old is it?” which has a complicated answer. Stones in the tower have been replaced over centuries. Keystones of arches have been replaced for structural integrity. At one point, the university attempted to use the tower for administration and had to cut into the wall to make windows, which were later filled in. Doors have been installed and framed by bricks.
So some of the structure is old—hundreds of years—while some is relatively modern—post-WWII. This reminded me of a thought experiment from one of my museum courses: If a tower is replaced, stone-by-stone, over years and years, until eventually every stone is exchanged, is it still the same tower? Is it still historic?
While I’m not prepared to answer such questions, historians are in the midst of conducting a full inventory of each stone in the tower. The replacements are often easy to identify due to their modern craftsmanship, but they are blended into the architecture and have become part of the tower’s story. Although the renewal of this historic structure invokes complicated, philosophical questions, if it means I can still get this view, I’m in.
BASF Chemical Plant
Reflections on Science Communication
Upon arriving at BASF, we started at the visitors' center. I thought, what a large operation this must to need a visitors' center! Then, after a safety video (of course), we boarded a bus to tour the site: one of the world's largest chemical plants. Our tour guide was admittedly not a scientist, but she had obviously been provided enough information to make the tour valuable and accessible for scientists and non-scientists alike. I did wonder how the tour might have been different if led by a chemist and tailored to our particular chemistry-focused audience.
Our bus tour dropped us back off at the visitors' center where we were quickly guided through five floors of exhibits. I was surprised and excited to see such expansive space all dedicated to science communication! One floor had an introductory video stating the facts and figures of the company. The next floor had features on their sustainability initiatives, including mechanical and chemical recycling. Another floor had laboratory equipment and a visual periodic table. Yet another floor had maps, timelines, and interactive screens about their scope of their operation. The floor where we spent the most time featured the applications of their chemical products, including agricultural fertilizers, microchips, household appliances, sports equipment, vehicle manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and more. The extent was too much to comprehend but so amazing to see! So much science communication was going on in that space to explain to visitors how chemistry is at work in their daily lives. It inspired me to continue my pursuit of science communication and enhanced my awareness of all the science communication jobs that are out there.
These companies have a responsibility to inform consumers about how products are made. I hope this involves scientists working with the PR team for success via collaboration. In my career, I'd love to tackle these kinds of topics to make science knowledge accessible and useful for all.
A Visit to Bunsen's Grave
(yes, of the Bunsen burner)
A short walk toward the hills of Heidelberg brought us to a large cemetery containing the final resting place of Robert Bunsen. Today a very common piece of general chemistry laboratory equipment, the Bunsen burner, bears his name. As scientists, it was only fitting to make this a high-priority stop while we were in Heidelberg. Although we didn't have a lighter to pay our respects, it was impactful to visit his grave and consider the long-lasting effects of his life.
Facing the Past
My Experiences in Germany regarding the Holocaust and WWII
On a science-focused trip, I hadn't considered what history I may be confronted with in Germany; however, Wold War II and the Holocaust left its mark nearly every part of the country. In many different environments in the last three weeks, the far-reaching repercussions of Nazi rule have become evident.
I was first confronted with the consequences of the past during a stroll through the old town streets. I approached an open space with a stone outline and simple memorial with some flowers. The square marks the spot where the Heidelberg synagogue stood before it was destroyed in 1938. The next day, on our hike, we came upon an outdoor theater on the mountain, which was apparently a Nazi public works project. Then, during our tour of the BASF plant, the tour guide noted that the plant was bombed by the Allies and largely destroyed during the war because it was part of a larger conglomerate supplying the Nazi regime with chemicals.
At our visit to the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, the tour guide included many details about the consequences of the Third Reich on the institute. Because strict regulations only allowed Germans to be professors at that time, 23 researchers were fired and forced to flee the country for fear of their lives. In one of their hallways there is a plaque that looks like a handwritten list of those 23 names, never to be forgotten. Additionally, one of the founders of the institute, who won the Nobel prize in 1938, later developed chemical weapons for the Nazi military.
At The Residence in Würzburg, an exhibit detailed the 1945 destruction and later restoration of the palace. It was difficult to grapple with the idea that the exquisite palace was destroyed by an Allied bombing raid on the city. Of course, the entirety of the country was enemy territory, but it's tempting for me to believe that everyone has the common goal of protecting cultural heritage. However, this showed that in war, no exceptions can be made.
It was on our tour of the witches tower at the University of Heidelberg that I came the most face-to-face with the continued discussion over how to tackle this historic topic. In their cellar is the head from a statue of a World War I soldier, which stood in the green space during the Nazi rule to embody national pride and military prowess. While the statue was removed, part of it is still awaiting its fate, possibly to be placed in a museum or otherwise contextualized to acknowledge the university's cooperation with the Third Reich. The University Museum does include lengthy text about the evolution of the university throughout the 20th century and the sweeping changes made during Nazi rule to cut student populations and to teach only state-sanctioned courses of study.
Throughout all these examples, I was struck by the present-day German people's willingness to discuss and acknowledge their country's past atrocities. During a quiet afternoon milchkaffee in a local cafe, I read the article "Monuments to the Unthinkable" from The Atlantic in which Clint Smith discusses the various memorials in Germany to remember victims of the Holocaust. The article was very impactful to read in Germany because I could walk down the street and see examples of Stolpersteine: little brass plaques in the sidewalk in front of homes to remember the Jewish people who lived there during the Holocaust. I could consider the complications and contradictions Smith mentions and view the country through a new lens. While I was not seeking information about the Holocaust during my visit, I found that was it was an unavoidable topic in Germany. I also found it to be a much more personal and humanized encounter with the deep tragedy and the lives lost. Truly, there is nothing like experiencing history in the place where it happened--and in Germany, the Holocaust happened everywhere.
