Virchow Museum to Close

[Thomas O. Haakenson]

Dear GSA Visual Culture Network Colleagues,

Sad news from Berlin for those of us who work on museum culture and / or history of science issues.

Best wishes,
Tom

Subject: Planned closure of Virchow's medical museum at the Charité
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:10:38 +0000

This may be of interest to medical historians:

The Board of Berlin's university hospital, the Charite, are planning to close its medical-historical museum, an institution founded by the pioneering pathologist Rudolf Virchow in 1899 (as his pathology museum).

Times are tough, the financial situation of the Charite is dire, and according to press officer Stefanie Winde, running a museum does not form part of the core competencies of a university hospital (it most certainly did for Virchow!).

On the museum, see: http://www.bmm.charite.de/museumtransparent/pathmuseum_e.htm

On the planned closure, see this article in the Berliner Zeitung (in German): http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/berlin/charite-museum/355127.php

--
Chair and Professor, Liberal Arts Department
Chair, Visiting Artist Committee

Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2501 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.  55404

Email: thaak...@mcad.edu
Telephone: 651.894.2894
Website: http://www.mcad.edu