Alexander von Humboldt was a German explorer. His work paved the way for a new direction in the field of natural sciences in the 19th century. He also introduced the idea of geography as a discipline involving precise observation of the natural environment. From 1799 to 1804 he embarked on an expedition with Aimé Bonpland, covering nearly 10,000 kilometers and exploring the Caribbean, South and Central America. As well as mapping large areas of land and measuring altitudes, courses of rivers and ocean currents, he also conducted ecological studies. From 1805 to 1834, he published his findings in the 36-volume work “Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Noveau Continent”, which laid the foundations for empirical geography.

Material:

• 3 letters and 1 seminar transcript
• 1 handwritten letter (Alexander von Humboldt to A. Hartvici, 1852)
• 1 handwritten letter (Alexander von Humboldt to Dr. Klug, 1849)
• 1 copy of a letter (Alexander von Humboldt, 1854)
• transcript of a lecture given by Humboldt (winter semester 1827/28: Physikalische Geographie (Physical Geography), 654 sheets; transcript by Otto von Stückrat)

Key words: science history, Germany

Hidden Kosmos

Amerikanische Reisetagebücher