Why is Alexander von Humboldt important to Berlin, Germany?
Alexander von Humboldt had been a German born geographer, naturalist, explorer, and a scientific strategist of the century 18 and the beginning of the 19th century. This brought his work close to being able to actually expound on the prevailing scientific analyses of the world in the natural realm today. Now one may ask the question as to why Alexander von Humboldt bears such an importance to the city of Berlin in Germany?
The Early Years
Alexander von Humboldt was born on the 14th of September, 1769 in Berlin. From childhood, curiosity was evident due to his background brought up in an affluent and scholarly family. Born in 1769, he went to school in Berlin and brought up with the desire of travel after his mother’s dying words to him were to go out into the world.
Through his travels, he was able to tour many parts of world; however the expeditions became part of his academic ambassadors. Of the various world tours he undertook, he has been most influential to Berlin especially the one he undertook between 1799 and 1804 to South America.
The Humboldt University of Berlin
It is known that the huge contribution Alexander von Humboldt made to the development of science, besides he founded the Humboldt University of Berlin. This university was established in 1810, and it sought a name of origin from both Alexander and William von Humboldt. The creation of this institution led to the development of scientific education, research, and scientific discovery making Berlin a center for such.
Today it is still occupied one of the main places among the universities of Germany, and remaining by the lines with the directions of scientific and innovative development of Alexander von Humboldt.
The Influence on Science
It can be stated that the legacy that Alexander von Humboldt left behind does not have an equivalent in the development of science. He made an effort to record any information, facts, observation, and measurements which he collected on his various expeditions and this innovatively changed the scientific way of thinking and analyzing facts. In this way, Humboldt collected plants and animals and specimens that became a starting point of disciplines which are now called biogeography, ecology, and meteorology.
Regarding the insights in geology and the analysis of the field of force in the earth, Humboldt promoted the progress of science to a lesser extent. The extensive investigations undertaken by him negated the paradigms and urged the scientific community to explore the intersectionality of various tangible fears in nature.
The Humboldt Forum
Established in the centre of Berlin, the Humboldt Forum serves being a cultural and scientific center in the name of Alexander von Humboldt. It can also be considered a large scientific center, where everyone can learn about his life, work and achievements.
At present, Humboldt Forum contains different collections of natural history, ethnography and art and culture. It aims at making the results of various fields of knowledge related to each other and to incorporate the scientists, scholars and the peoples.
Key Takeaways
- Alexander von Humboldt is known for his numerous and valuable contributions to science and various branches of it.
- Consequently, the idea for establishing the Humboldt University of Berlin remains immortal and tangible as it has been built to facilitate brilliance.
- Humboldt takes an elaborate procedure of documenting data and this transformed the way information was collected in science.
- The Humboldt Forum in Berlin thus allows people to gain more insights into his works and the inter-disciplinary approach.
It is now easier to understand why Alexander von Humboldt’s legacy can be described as a major influence on Berlin in modern Germany and in the scientific domain. His passion, enthusiasm and his devotion to the discovery for science enlightens explorers and students as well as contributes to the collective knowledge in society.
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