When it was founded, the German Museum in Munich received essential parts from the collection of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. The museum’s general manager, Wolfgang M. Heckl, has published a book presenting a selection of 100 objects from this exhibition. Perhaps the fact that there is a device for determining the purity of beer is due to the location of the museum. Other objects from Bavaria form a focal point of the work – but in fact, many of the exhibits presented come from all over the world. The time frame ranges from an astronomical case dating back to 1482 to a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Mainz-based Biontech in 2021.
The British Museum as a model
The best-selling book A History of the World in 100 Pieces by former director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor served as a model – both for the title and for the selection of objects described, as well as for the publisher’s advertisement. This sets the bar high. What is particularly impressive about MacGregor’s book is that one author catalogs the great variety of objects depicted and relates them to human history.
Despite the relatively similar structure of the articles (historical background, description of the object, biographical description of the scientists or inventors), the work in the German Museum shows different ways of presentation due to the different authors. Among other things, it is rarely mentioned between articles. This creates the impression of a collection of studies of small organisms.
However, the individual sections are quite impressive. Unfortunately, authors often get lost in object terminology, especially when it comes to the functional principles and technical details of the pictorial machines. In order to understand it, additional information is often needed. But this is exactly what creates the impression of a huge variety of ideas. Particularly affected are the references to the social consequences of individual developments, which mostly represented workers’ protests against rationalization and simplification.
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