Tartu Ülikooli ajaloo küsimusi

Teaduskollektsioon - muuseumile, teadlasele, ühiskonnale?

Lea Leppik — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Tartu ülikooli õppetahvlid - õppevahendist museaaliks ja uurimisobjektiks

Jaanika Anderson, Ken Ird, Maris Tuuling, Anne Arus — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The University of Tartu Museum, the Estonian Art Museum, and
the Estonian Academy of Arts conducted a collaborative project from
2021 to 2023 to highlight the role of visual culture as a mediator of
knowledge. During the project, visual materials used in teaching and
research from the 19th and 20th centuries were mapped in Estonian
memory institutions. At the University of Tartu Museum, this resulted
in the digitization of approximately 2,000 educational wallcharts,
slightly more than half of their total number in the museum. Additionally,
the primary conservation of 3,046 wallcharts was conducted.
In general, the role of scientific illustrations and their creators
in university history, as well as in Estonian science and art history,
has so far remained unnoticed. Thus, a systematic approach to the
material under study has helped to bring into focus scientific illustrators
who worked at the University of Tartu in the second half of the
19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Their activities were only
discovered thanks to preserved scientific illustrations, wallcharts,
and other visual materials.
The use of visual materials in education began during the Renaissance.
The invention of the printing press in the 15th century
and the adoption of new techniques allowed for the reproduction of
images, leading to the widespread use of visual materials in teaching.
In the 18th century, universities began to open specialized cabinets
with collections necessary for scientific and educational work, further
increasing the importance of visual materials in education. At the
German-speaking University of Tartu, reopened in 1802, scientific
and educational collections were formed from the very beginning and
were increasingly supplemented with visual material.
From the 1820s onwards, educational wallcharts played an essential
role in illustrating teaching and assessing knowledge in European
universities, gaining particular popularity in Germany. Their
production was facilitated by the invention of lithography in 1798,

which made reproducing images faster and cheaper. The advantage
of wallcharts over various models and natural specimens was that
they could be viewed by the entire audience at once – the boards
were placed in a visible location. Additionally, the wallcharts enabled
the depiction of context, providing a comprehensive overview of the
object or highlighting details or parts that would not otherwise be
visible to the naked eye.
The great pedagogical potential of wallcharts inspired university
lecturers and students to create them by hand, allowing for better
adaptation of topics to local teaching and research work and helping
to save costs. Until the very last decades of the 20th century, university
collections of wallcharts were constantly being supplemented
by new orders and self-made efforts. Unfortunately, most of these
wallcharts
have been discarded from teaching activities today as new
technology and media have replaced them, putting their preservation
at risk. Fortunately, a considerable selection of wallcharts at the University
of Tartu has reached the University of Tartu Museum.
The conservation work of historical wallcharts at the University of
Tartu Museum was organized from 2020 to 2023 according to a wellthought-
out plan of action to make them preservable in the museum
while also being easily accessible and usable for everyone. Only after
the information and images of these wallcharts were made accessible
in the Museums Public Portal MuIS could researchers and curators
start working more thoroughly with the material. The wallcharts selected
for the “Art or Science” exhibition from the digitized collection
were additionally conserved, and the solutions developed during this
process can be further used according to needs and possibilities.
In the 19th century and early 20th century, several scientific illustrators
probably worked at the University of Tartu. Most of their
work remains anonymous. Only a few names are known for sure,
such as Eduard Saksand (1847–1897), who mainly illustrated medical
works; student Aleksander Slavjanov (1880–1958); professors
Aleksander Gubarev (1855–1931) and Albert Valdes (1884–1971);
and one of Estonia’s first professional female artists, Hilda Kamdron
(1900–72).
Wallcharts began to play an essential role in higher education and
science communication at the beginning of the 19th century. Initially, they spread widely in German-speaking regions and later in other parts of Europe. The collection of handmade wallcharts at the University
of Tartu Museum is remarkable for its size and diversity of
topics. Thanks to the work of the museum’s curators, conservators,
and interns, they are now digitally accessible, allowing their public
and non-restricted use in teaching and research.

Tartu ülikooli looduslookabinetist erialamuuseumideni

Inge Kukk — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The history of the Natural History Museum of the University of Tartu
dates back to the year 1802 when the university’s Naturalien-Kabinet
(museum), received its first collection on the 25th of March.
However, the decision to establish the natural history collections for
teaching had already been made in March 1801, when the head of
the university’s trust institution decided to buy a collection of minerals,
fossils and marine organisms in Mitau (Jelgava). We don’t know
whether or not this collection arrived in Tartu, but it shows how important
the natural history collections were even before the opening
of the university.
Since the beginning of the 19th century, the natural history collections
represented a wide range of natural sciences: mineralogy,
paleontology, zoology and botany. The first director of the museum,
Professor Gottfried Albrecht Germann (1773–1809), carried out fieldwork
collecting plants, birds and insects. The museum received many
donations, but collections also grew through purchases and exchanges.
The very first purchase was made in 1802, and it consisted of
1920 minerals from the collection of J. C. W. Voigt (1752–1821).
The next director of the museum, Carl Friedrich von Ledebour
(1785–1851, director 1811–22), divided the museum’s collection into
two parts: the zoological collection and the geological collection, and
they were placed into separate halls. All herbariums were handed
over to the botanical garden. In 1820 the university established a
museum of mineralogy and in 1822 a separate museum for zoology.
These museums were managed by the professors of mineralogy and
the professors of zoology, and the focus of collecting was linked to
their research work.
From 1820 to 1841 the director of the museum of mineralogy
was Otto Moritz Ludwig von Engelhard (1779–1842), who collected
thousands of minerals and rocks; the collections grew to 12 800 items.

His successor, Professor Constantin von Grewingk (1819–87) even
increased the number of geological objects in the collection about
twofold. The collection of meteorites grew from 3 pieces to 140 and
the museum of zoology handed over its paleontological collection. In
1858 the museum moved into a new location and a new display of
collections was made by Grewingk. In 1863 Grewingk published a
collection catalogue for the wider public.
The first director of the museum of zoology during 1822–31, Professor
Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz (1793–1831), expanded the
collections through purchases and exchanges. Eschscholtz brought
about 2 400 specimens from Kotzebue’s expedition around the world.
Unfortunately, the museum lost its collections in the fire of 1829, and
the zoological collections had to be collected again. Professor Adolph
Eduard Grube (1812–80), director of the museum during 1843–56,
set up a collection of invertebrates. Besides this, the museum received
many donations, and the number of specimens increased to 9 000.
In the beginning of the 20th century there were already 16 648 specimens
in the museum of zoology.
Already from the beginning of 19th century the natural history collections
were opened to the public. Several positive reviews are available
from German travellers, who visited Tartu and the museums
in the middle of the 19th century. There was a large exhibition about
natural and medical sciences including a display of the collections in
1910. The exhibition was organized by professors and students, and
more than 4 600 people visited the exhibition in the university’s main
building and the riding hall.
In 1916, the University of Tartu had to evacuate all its property
to central Russia, because of World War I. The collections of geology,
zoology and botany were sent to Voronezh and Perm. According to
the peace treaty between the Estonian Republic and Soviet Russia in
1920, the property of the university had to be returned, but most of
the museum’s collections were not. The museum of geology got back
2/3 of its paleontological collection and less than half of its mineralogical
collection. The museum of zoology lost almost everything: only
16 skeletons and stuffed animals and a few boxes with small mammals
were returned.

Eduard Philipp Körberi keskaegsete hauaplaatide mudelid

Helen Bome, Marge Laast — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Eduard Philipp Körber (1770–1850) was a pastor in Tartu county. He
is known to posterity as an avid local historian. In this article, we look
at a collection of models Körber made of grave slabs in the churches
of Estonia and Latvia. The 18 models that have survived are carved
out of stone and about the size of postcards, with information as well
as a signature and a date on the back. The models were later owned
by the learned societies in Tallinn and Tartu. Nowadays they are in
the Estonian History Museum and the Estonian National Museum.
Until World War II the collection was used by Estonian, Latvian,
and German researchers. Some of the grave slabs depicted had been
destroyed or were inaccessible. Photographs of the models were used
as illustrations for books. One model was even used as an example
for restoring the original grave slab. The models are carved with
great care and detail, but researchers drew attention to discrepancies
between originals and models, calling for caution. Nevertheless, the
collection remained in use, with each publication adding to its credibility.
The material of the models was described by Körber as slate
(Schiefer). However, the information in his correspondence about the
location where he acquired the stone as well as close inspection of the
models led us to conclude that it is graptolitic argillite. We reenacted
gathering pieces of it from the shores of the Jägala river in Harju
county and experimented with using different tools to carve it. Graptolitic
argillite proved to be easy to acquire and model, which could be
the reason why Körber used this unconventional material.

Looduslike ja laboratoorsete mikroobitüvede kollektsioon CELMS

Signe Viggor, Eeva Heinaru, Merike Jõesaar — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Collection of Environmental and Laboratory Microbial Strains
(CELMS) was established in 1995, and it is located in the Institute of
Molecular and Cell Biology of the University of Tartu. A microbiological
collection differs from other natural science collections, such as botanical,
zoological, geological, and mycological collections, because it consists of living
microscopic organisms that are invisible to the naked eye. Like other
microbial culture collections, the primary function of CELMS is to collect,
maintain, and distribute microbial strains, which have unique properties
and practical values in teaching, research assays, biotechnology, etc. For
example, CELMS stores microorganisms with various bioremediation
capabilities isolated from different environmental conditions. Determining
the complete nucleotide sequences of the strains’ biodegradative
plasmids helps researchers study horizontal gene transfer processes in
nature. To make the deposited strains more visible and attractive, several
tests are being performed to identify potential characteristics useful
for biotechnological applications. For example, several strains have been
recently screened for the ability to catabolize biopolymers – cellulose, hemicellulose,
and lignin, to find potential strains that could be used for
the valorization of the wood industries’ waste or byproducts. The public
catalog of CELMS is available on the Estonian Electronic Microbial dataBase
(EEMB) website [footnote 4], where there are listed for each culture
general (isolation location/source, important features necessary for
strain identification etc.) and specific characteristics (ability to degrade
or produce certain chemicals, resistance to drugs, presence of plasmids
etc.), and, if available, links to nucleotide sequences deposited in Gen-
Bank, as well as information concerning published scientific data. The
deposited cultures can be ordered (free of charge) for academic research
(non-commercial purposes) after signing a Material Transfer Agreement.
The CELMS collection preserves well-characterized cultures that are of
interest to researchers in the fields of environmental protection, biotechnological
applications, waste recycling, etc.

Pedagoogilis-filoloogilise seminari arhiivifondi kujunemislugu Tartu Ülikooli raamatukogus

Anni Polding — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The library of the University of Tartu holds many archival funds. One
of them, Fund 15, holds documents about the Pedagogical-Philological
Seminar. On the day of his arrival in Tartu in 1803, Karl Morgenstern,
professor of classical philology, proposed to the rectorate of
the Imperial University of Tartu that a seminar be opened similar
to the one at Halle University. His wish came true in 1821 when the
Pedagogical-Philological Seminar was opened. The aim of this article
is to show what kind of documents one archival fund might hide, and
what kind of new information we can learn from these documents
about the beginning of the 19th century at the university. The article
also makes an excursion through one year at the seminar, in order to
see, on the basis of the archival documents, what kinds of activities
actually took place in the seminar.
As it turns out, the archival fund has been reorganized several
times, and this has made it both more difficult and easier to use it.
The archive hides quite a diverse selection of documents, firstly the
journals of seminar professors documenting the meetings. Secondly,
the archival fund contains administrative documents about organizational
matters for the seminar, such as the motivation letters of
the seminar candidates, circular letters of the seminar professors
about different matters, students’ exam results, and so on. Thirdly,
the archival fund holds seminar papers by the students, of which 117
papers are still preserved while others are lost. Almost all the documents
in the archival fund (with one exception) are handwritten; the
Russian professor wrote his reviews in French; other professors used
German; the motivation letters and student papers are in Latin. Another
obstacle in using the archival materials is the Gothic German
style of writing which is not used anymore and takes time to learn to
read. Still, studying the fund is useful, as it tells a story of how much
an archival fund can change over time, and it shows that the archival
fund holds interesting documents about the Pedagogical-Philological Seminar. The documents show what university training looked like for people who became teachers in gymnasia, including some quite
significant people in the cultural history of Estonia.

„Veel üks unistus“: interjöörimaalingud ja tapeedid astronoomimaja sisekujunduses läbi aegade

Kristiina Ribelus — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The title quotes a letter from the then-university architect Johann
Wilhelm Krause (1757–1828), where he talks about his dreams related
to the construction of the observatory, which was completed in
1810, after many disputes and reconsiderations, on Toome Hill. The
Astronomer’s House was built next to the observatory ten years later.
In May 2023, extensive reconstruction work began in the Astronomer’s
House, which was completed in May 2024. Interior walls are now
decorated with reconstructed stencil patterns, and layers of paintings
and wallpapers from the 19th century are conserved and exhibited.
The first residents of the Astronomer’s House from 1821 were Friedrich
Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793–1864) with his wife Emilie and their
children. The Struve family lived in the house from its construction until
1839. Struve handed over the observatory and its complex to Professor
Karl Eduard Senff (1810–49) in 1839. Senff, in turn, handed over the
observatory to Struve’s successor one year later, in 1840. The new professor
of astronomy and director of the observatory was Johann Heinrich
Mädler (1794–1874), who lived in the Astronomer’s House with his
poet wife Minna until 1864. After that, the director of the observatory
until 1872 was the previous observer, Thomas Clausen (1801–85).
During the times of Struve, Senff, Mädler, and Clausen, the walls
and ceilings of the rooms were covered and decorated with paint, using
lime or distemper colours, and the interiors were decorated with
ornamental paintings (Figures 5-8, and 12-13). During the renovation
in 2023–24, the paintings from the Struve and Mädler periods
were conserved (Figures 7-8), and stenciled ornaments were reconstructed
in the office rooms (Figures 9-11).
In 1872, Peter Carl Ludwig Schwarz (1822–1894) became the new
director of the observatory; his wife was the painter Julie Wilhelmine
Hagen-Schwarz (1824–1902). During the period from the 1870s to

the 1890s, the walls were covered with modern wallpapers that had
become accessible to ordinary citizens by that time.
In 1894, Grigori Lewitsky (1852–1918), a professor at Kharkov
University, was appointed director of the observatory. He immediately
began modernizing and refurbishing the observatory; among these
changes, the astronomer’s residence was insulated from the inside in
1895. During the renovation in 2023–24, an average of four different
layers of wallpaper were revealed under this layer. The last layer of
wood-imitating wallpaper from the Schwarz period in the 1890s is
now conserved and exhibited in the Astronomer’s House (Figure 14).
In 1908, Konstantin Pokrovski (1868–1945) became the director
of the observatory. The first two decades of the 20th century are fragmented
in terms of interior decoration, as little has been preserved,
or the decoration was sparse, as the Astronomer’s House was no longer
used as a single-family residence but was expanded for teaching,
and the building was divided into apartments.
Taavet Rootsmäe (1885–1959) was appointed as the first Estonian
director of the observatory at 1919, and he remained in this position
until 1948. A typical stencil pattern from the 1920s, which decorated
the walls of the astronomer and astrophysicist Ernst Öpik’s (1893-
1985) apartment in the western part of the building, was preserved.
The stencil pattern from Öpik’s time was reconstructed on the wall of
the large hall in 2024 (Figure 7, pattern with hearts).
During World War II, the observatory and its complex were heavily
damaged, followed by extensive restoration work. The typical roller
pattern of the 1940s was used on the walls of the second-floor manager’s
office, which was Rootsmäe’s office then.
Some wallpapers from the Soviet era (1960–1980), printed in
Estonian and Riga factories, were found on the astronomer Peeter
Traat´s apartment walls (Öpik’s former apartment).
In re-independent Estonia, modern vinyl and latex-based materials
(paints and wallpapers) began to be used. From 1997 to 2011, the
AHHAA Science Center operated in the Astronomer’s House, and later
University of Tartu museum staff used the rooms as office space.
Before renovation, the house stood empty, and from 2024 the freshly
renovated astronomers’ residence became the home of the University
of Tartu’s personnel department.

Agathe Lasch, „valest“ rahvusest teadlane

Terje Lõbu — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Pharmacist Alma Tomingas is considered to be the first female professor
at the University of Tartu, who received this title in 1940;
however, already in 1939, the Faculty of Philosophy of the University
of Tartu had chosen Agathe Lasch as professor of German studies
(germanistika).
Born in Berlin in 1879, Agathe Lasch was a recognized scholar at
the time - the first female professor of German studies in Germany
and the first female professor at the University of Hamburg. Because
she was Jewish, Agathe Lasch’s successful research career was
interrupted by the coming to power of the Nazis in Germany, which
pushed her away from academic life and forced her to look for work
abroad, including in Tartu. The Council of the Faculty of Philosophy
of the University of Tartu considered Agathe Lasch, as the world’s
best Middle Low German language specialist, to be the most suitable
candidate for the position of professor of German studies, who would
study the Baltic German language and its relations with the Estonian
language. Unfortunately, by 1939, political conditions in Europe
had become so uncertain that Konstantin Päts, as the president of
a small country, did not dare to go against the will of Germany and
confirm the Jewess Agathe Lasch as a professor.
The subsequent fate of Agathe Lasch was sad, as she was arrested
and executed near Riga in 1942 together with her sisters. Years later,
Agathe Lasch has been honored again as an outstanding scientist;
a street and a square in Germany have been named after Lasch to
commemorate her; several commemorative plaques have been erected,
and young scientists are rewarded with the Agathe Lasch Prize.

Tartu Ülikooli muuseumi 2023. aasta aruanne

Jaanika Anderson — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000