Jahresbericht 2009-2010 - Senckenberg

merger resulted in a significant rise in the work-
research findings and their expertise, they serve
force in Saxony. This provided welcome relief for
as reference centres and points of contact.
the researchers who previously had to maintain
their collections themselves without any technical
// More exhibitions:
assistance. It also created many new research po-
The Senckenberg offering
sitions to boost expertise at the various sites. New,
ultra-modern research labs rounded things off.
With the addition of the institutes in Saxony,
Senckenberg now has exhibitions in two German
The construction of a new institute and collection
states. In Frankfurt and Dresden, it is a declared
building in Görlitz will mark another milestone in
aim to expand and further develop the exhibitions
Naturhistorisches
Museum im Dresdner
the restructuring operation. The ‘old’ Senckenberg
institute, the BiK-F and the sites in Branden-
on offer. For Frankfurt, a redesigned exhibition is
planned for 2017, when Senckenberg celebrates
Zwinger im Jahr 1900.
burg and Saxony have since joined forces in nu-
its 200th anniversary. It is hoped that Dresden,
// Natural History
Museum in Dresden’s
Zwinger Palace in 1900.
merous cooperation activities, both in research
and as regards collections. One example involves
the botanists and the establishment of the Her-
which currently only has exhibition space in the
Japanisches Palais (“Japanese Palace”) will be
able to create a permanent exhibition in the next
barium Senckenbergianum. In addition, SeSAM,
few years. In Dresden the special exhibitions de-
Senckenberg’s tried and tested collection man-
signed by Senckenberg are a fitting example of
agement system, provides an online platform on
how synergies can be used to their full advan-
// Shaping the Future at
Senckenberg: Merger Year
2009
is also older than the ‘old’ Senckenberg, having
celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2011. It is
known way beyond German borders for its re-
which to virtually link collections held at various
locations. This latter point is of great advantage
should disaster strike. In addition, the Senckenberg
sites fulfil important roles in their respective
tage. The merger thus proves its value at various
levels across the Group. A big thank you to all
who have contributed to this success.
search in soil zoology, and owns comprehensive
local environments: using their collections, their
For information on author Uwe Fritz, see page 73.
Joining forces: 2009 will go down in Sencken-
collections from Saxony and the Palaearctic. In
berg’s history as the year of the big merger. After
Müncheberg, the German Entomological Institute
years of preliminary talks and preparations, the
boasts an excellent specialised library and its col-
‘old’ Senckenberg was merged with three historic
museums and research collections in the states
of Brandenburg and Saxony.
// 35 million pieces combine
to make a whole
The natural history collections in Dresden go even
further back than the Senckenberg museum,
lections are predestined to play a key role in entomological
research at Senckenberg.
With the merger and the newly established Biodiversity
and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), a
joint venture with the University of Frankfurt,
Senckenberg’s staff has grown from 370 in 2008
to 780 in 2010. The same goes for its collections,
which have expanded from 22 million at the ‘old’
geo wissenschaftlichen und paläontologischen Themen. Vor
seiner Zeit als Generaldirektor der Senckenberg Gesellschaft
für Naturforschung hatte er den Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine
Paläontologie an der Universität Tübingen inne. Sein Forschungsinteresse
gilt vor allem heutigen ökologischen und
klimatischen Veränderungen, die er vor dem Hintergrund
erdgeschichtlicher Vorgänge analysiert – für einen wissenschaftlich
fundierten Naturschutz und ein nachhaltiges
Natur-„Management“ im System Erde – Mensch. Für seine
Arbeiten erhielt Professor Mosbrugger 1998 den Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz-Preis.
which was founded in 1817. Although they date
back to the Royal Saxony Art and Natural History
Collection of Renaissance times, the collections
were first recorded as an independent natural history
museum in 1728. The geoscience and zoological
collections in Dresden are equally historic.
The entomological collection comprises some five
Senckenberg to some 35 million across the entire
network. This makes Senckenberg one of the biggest
natural history research institutes in the
world.
// More staff and greater expertise
// Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Volker Mosbrugger has been at the
Senckenberg helm since 2006, and is also Scientific Coordinator
at BiK-F. After studying biology and chemistry, he
became intensely involved in geoscience and palaeontology.
Prior to his appointment as Director General of Senckenberg,
he held the Chair of General Paleontology at the University
of Tübingen. His research interests focus largely on changes
in the environment and the climate, which he analyses by
million prepared specimens, including the reference
specimens for over 13,500 species – the
specimens by which the species were first described.
The Museum of Natural History in Görlitz
Other than in industry, where mergers often
come in the form of ‘hostile’ take-overs, Senckenberg’s
new sites all came on board at their own
wish. And rather than people being laid off, the
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Volker Mosbrugger leitet seit 2006
die Geschicke von Senckenberg und ist zudem als Wissenschaftlicher
Koordinator am BiK-F tätig. Nach seinem
Bio logie- und Chemiestudium widmete er sich intensiv
comparing today’s conditions with those through the course
of the Earth’s history. His objective is to foster sciencebased
nature conservation and sustainable environment
management within the Earth/human system. Mosbrugger
was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz prize in 1998.
10 Mit Senckenberg gemeinsam in die Zukunft – das große Fusionsjahr 2009
Mit Senckenberg gemeinsam in die Zukunft – das große Fusionsjahr 2009 11