Who we are

The namesake – Johann Christian Senckenberg

In 1763, Frankfurt physician and naturalist Dr. Johann Christian Senckenberg donates his entire fortune of 95,000 guilders to a foundation. Over the years, a medical institute, a library open to everyone, a chemical laboratory, and a greenhouse for medicinal plants are established, among other things. The Bürgerhospital, also initiated by Senckenberg, which is intended to treat the poor, begins operating in 1779. Senckenberg does not live to see the completion of his work. He dies on November 15, 1772.

Foundation of the Senckenberg Natural History Society

While the Bürgerhospital grows, the scientific institutes do not develop sufficiently after Johann Christian Senckenberg’s death. In 1815, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe laments during a visit to his hometown that Senckenberg’s legacy was not being adequately pursued.

On November 22, 1817, 32 Frankfurt citizens with an interest in science found the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (Senckenberg Society for Natural History), today known as the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Senckenberg Society for Nature Research). Although it bears the Senckenberg name, it remains institutionally independent of the Dr. Senckenbergische Stiftung (Dr. Senckenberg Foundation).

Record-breaking rise

The new museum

Symbiosis with Johann Wolfgang Goethe University

In 1914, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main is founded as a foundation university. Senckenberg is one of the founders, adding a south wing to the museum building and handing it over to the university for use as the Zoological and Geological-Paleontological Institute. Senckenberg’s Prof. Dr. Otto zur Strassen, Prof. Dr. Martin Moebius, and later Prof. Dr. Fritz Drevermann are appointed to university chairs and lay the foundation for a partnership that continues to bear fruit today.

Members save Senckenberg

Research in the 1920s is overshadowed by inflation and the global economic crisis. Despite these difficult times, Director Fritz Drevermann succeeds in increasing the number of paying members to 14,000 through intensive advertising campaigns. He receives financial support from Dr. Arthur von Weinberg, an important patron who was later persecuted by the National Socialists and died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1943. On the occasion of its 200th anniversary, the Senckenberg Society commissioned an independent investigation into its own history during the Nazi era and published it as a book.

Senckenberg am Meer and actualism

World War II brings all research to a standstill

From 1934 onwards, Senckenberg paleontology experiences a golden age under museum director Rudolf Richter. “Senckenberg am Meer” is expanded into a permanently staffed research station. During World War II, however, research came to a near standstill as many scientists are drafted into military service. The remaining staff manage to relocate the valuable collections in Frankfurt and the surrounding area to many different locations. And so, during a heavy air raid on March 22, 1944, the bombs hit an almost empty building – a stroke of luck in misfortune.

Post-war reconstruction

Countless hours and days are spent clearing rubble and provisionally repairing the research institute and museum. On March 4, 1954, Senckenberg is included in the joint federal-state research funding program. The continued existence and expansion of the institution are of national importance for the Federal Republic, which had been founded five years earlier. From this point on, Senckenberg has a secure and adequate budget for its scientific tasks at its disposal – research becomes more professional.

Ecological and biological approach

The first post-war director, Prof. Dr. Robert Mertens, an internationally renowned herpetologist, ushers in a new era of fieldwork: the mere collection of animals takes a back seat to their observation and study in their natural habitat. The aim is to view and understand ecosystems as a whole. During this phase, Senckenberg also broadens its geographical horizons and turns its attention to global research topics in remote countries.

Exhibitions for the general public

The 1960s are marked by comprehensive public education. Television, amusement parks, and travel opportunities present new challenges for the natural history museum, which had previously been regarded as a window to the world. Bernard Grzimek, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and Heinz Sielmann “conjure” real nature and research directly into living rooms with their television programs. In 1961, Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Schäfer takes over as director at Senckenberg and modernizes the exhibitions, which had previously been structured lexically. Graphic representations find their way into the museum, making the exhibits accessible to a broad audience.

The sea moves closer to Frankfurt

Under director Wilhelm Schäfer, Senckenberg am Meer expands significantly. For example, he establishes several sections for marine invertebrates and encourages researchers from related fields to also address issues of marine research. Senckenberg scientists now regularly participate in expeditions with large research vessels such as “Meteor” and “Sonne.” With the acquisition of the research cutter “Senckenberg,” based in Wilhelmshaven, research activities can be expanded from the German Bight to the entire North Sea and Baltic Sea.

Environmental research is in vogue

Inland, environmental research is increasingly becoming the focus of attention. The Section for Limnic Ecology and Entomology IV is dedicated to heavily polluted rivers such as the Rhine and Main. In the exhibition “Environment 2000,” Senckenberg brings this topic to the public’s attention – much to the displeasure of the industry associations of the time. The increasingly ecologically oriented research also requires a direct presence “on site.” For this reason, a branch office for low mountain range research is established in Spessart in 1969: the Lochmühle in Bieber.

Professionalization of the organization

In the 1980s, a results-oriented mindset that was almost economic in nature takes hold. Research institutions are under increasing pressure to disclose their plans, goals, and achievements to society – the individual interests of individual researchers take a back seat to collective tasks. The Science Council begins conducting regular evaluations. Under Director Prof. Dr. Willi Ziegler, the administration is modernized and adapted to the new requirements. In 1989, Senckenberg introduces computer systems. It is an era of large-scale projects that require team building and networking as well as professional commercial and administrative management.

Rescue of the Messel Pit and major scientific projects

What belongs together grows together

Several major collaborations and mergers characterize the period following German reunification. In 1998, the Taxonomic Working Group of the Biological Research Institute Helgoland become part of Senckenberg. In 2000, the German Center for Marine Biodiversity is established in Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg. In the same year, the Institute for Quaternary Paleontology in Weimar joins Senckenberg.

Deep-sea research and climate change

Senckenberg under a new name

The “Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft” (Senckenberg Natural History Society), founded in 1817, is being given a new name: “Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung” (Senckenberg Society for Nature Research).

The new partners – as rich in tradition as the parent company

The new Senckenberg: more than the sum of its parts

Senckenberg is significantly expanding its role in biodiversity research, thereby assuming a leading position in the scientific landscape. Under Director General Volker Mosbrugger, a new research portfolio is being created: four overarching, major research questions are now taking center stage and are being addressed across all locations. Numerous collaborations in the research and collection sector are developing between the locations. The number of collection items has grown from 22 to 35 million, and additional exhibition venues have been added in Dresden and Görlitz.

Spatial expansion and Institute No. 7

Senckenberg remains on the move: Following strong growth until 2010, the focus is now on construction measures affecting all areas: research, collections, and exhibitions. This also includes spatial expansion. In Frankfurt, following the university’s move to the Westend campus, Senckenberg is able to take over the university’s main building and the headquarters of the Physical Society. The museum is also significantly enlarged. The “Biodiversity and Climate Research Center” moves into its own building in June 2013.

2021–2030: From knowledge to action

For Senckenberg, the decade from 2021 to 2030 will be marked by ambitious efforts to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises.

The LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG) is a flagship project in modern natural science. Since its launch in 2018, it has been dedicated to the genetic foundations of biological diversity and has become an established player in this field of research.

In 2024, the German federal government gives the green light for the “New Senckenberg Nature Museum” in Frankfurt – the modernization and expansion of the research institute and nature museum in Frankfurt is being generously co-financed. Planning is in full swing. Completion is scheduled for 2037. But the museum’s work is not pausing: the impressive new permanent exhibition “Deep Sea and Marine Research” is attracting many visitors to Frankfurt – the first module of the modular renovation, followed in 2020 by the modules ‘Rivers’ and “Tropical Coral Reef.”