idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
From April 7 to June 6, 2026, the State and University Library Bremen (SuUB) will present an exhibition on the life and work of the Bremen astronomer and physician Wilhelm Olbers (1758–1840). Admission is free.
From April 7 to June 6, 2026, the State and University Library Bremen (SuUB) will present an exhibition on the life and work of the Bremen astronomer and physician Wilhelm Olbers (1758–1840). Admission is free.
Wilhelm Olbers, born in Bremen, was a physician and astronomer and one of the most famous Bremen residents of his time. It is thanks to him that the Hanseatic city was a European center of astronomy around 1800. His discovery of Pallas in 1802 was a milestone in planetary studies. In addition, he discovered the minor planet Vesta (1805) and several comets, and made significant contributions to comet research.
He formulated the Olbers’ Paradox, named after him, which is still considered a central problem in cosmological theory and raises questions about the structure and finiteness of the universe. In his day job, he worked as a physician in his hometown for nearly four decades. He was a proponent of so-called animal magnetism and, as a physician, was involved in the cases of two victims of the “poisoner” Gesche Gottfried.
The State and University Library Bremen (SuUB) is home to Wilhelm Olbers’ estate, consisting of approximately 4,000 documents that form the focus of the exhibition. The estate, made up of handwritten documents, letters, manuscripts, mathematical calculations, and scientific sketches, records not only his research practices but also the structures of academic communication during that era. His correspondence with figures such as Johann Hieronymus Schroeter, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, Carl Friedrich Gauss, and Alexander von Humboldt highlights the role of networks in the production of knowledge during the early modern period.
The exhibition illuminates central aspects of the life and work of the famous Bremen native. It demonstrates how scientific knowledge does not emerge in isolation, but rather through exchange between individuals, institutions, and cultural contexts. It is aimed at scholars, students, and a broad audience interested in the history of Bremen and the development of scientific culture in the 18th and 19th centuries.
An accompanying publication has been released (in German) for the exhibition: “Astronom – Arzt – Bremer. Wilhelm Olbers (1758–1840) und sein Nachlass in der SuUB Bremen“, Bremen 2026. Edition Falkenberg.
Further Information:
The SuUB invites you to the exhibition opening on Tuesday, April 7, at 4:30 p.m.:
Welcome address by Maria Elisabeth Müller, Director of the SuUB
Introduction to the exhibition by Maria Hermes-Wladarsch (SuUB, exhibition curator)
Short lecture (in German): “Wilhelm Olbers – Leben und Werk” by PD Dr. Günter Oestmann
Location: State and University Library Bremen, Central Library, Bibliothekstr. 9, 28359 Bremen
Dates: April 7 to June 6, 2026
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Dr. Maria Hermes-Wladarsch, Head of Historical Collections, State and University Library, Bremen (SuUB), Phone: +49 421 218-59571, Email: hermes@suub.uni-bremen.de
https://www.suub.uni-bremen.de/ueber-uns/neues-aus-der-suub/ausstellungseroeffnu... (only available in German)
Bremen astronomer and physician Wilhelm Olbers (1758–1840
Copyright: SuUB
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