DahlemTour: On the Trail of Albert Einstein

Guided tour: Albert Einstein in Dahlem

Einstein’s decision in 1913 to move from Switzerland to Berlin was thanks to Max Planck, Walther Nernst and Emil Warburg. He was to become a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences, a professor without lecturing duties at the University of Berlin and a Director of a new Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. 

The Kaiser Wilhelm Society had been founded just a short time before, in June 1911. The aim of its institutes was to pursue research exclusively, for which they were generously funded by such donors as entrepreneurs and financiers, among others. The first facilities included the Institute for Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry and the Institute for Chemistry, both in Dahlem. The time was now ripe to set up a physics institute as well. On March 21, 1914, the Senate of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society resolved to found one.  Their decision was greatly facilitated by a promise from banker and industrialist Leopold Koppel to provide the building and assume one-third of the costs. Another third would be provided by the Prussian government. But on July 31, 1914, the Ministry of Finance rejected any further funding. The next day, World War I broke out, and the project was put on hold. 

Albert Einstein nevertheless travelled in 1914 to Berlin. In 1915 he presented his General Theory of Relativity to the world for the first time. In 1917, Einstein also became Director of the newly founded Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics.

Explore the Berlin-Dahlem Campus

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of science and go on a journey in time through “Germany’s Oxford”, now the Dahlem Campus in Berlin.  Our walking tours are suitable as a cultural programme within the framework of conferences. Those who prefer to explore Dahlem on their own can find their way to the most important places with the DahlemTour app.
Read more here.