If you are fascinated by all things sciencey and morbid, you should definitely visit the Museum of Medical History at Charité. The specimen hall of the restored 19th-century building is filled with over 750 wet and dry samples from the collection of Professor Rudolf Virchow, the “father of modern pathology.” While this may seem like a lot, in reality only 1,800 of the 23,000 original artifacts held in the Pathological Museum survived the bombing during the Second World War, and so the remaining are extremely important to medical science. The exhibits on display include medical instruments and rare or valuable anatomical samples: skulls, organs, limbs, two-headed foetuses or other so called “abnormalities.” The museum also confronts the darker side of German medicinal history by tracking the National Socialist practices of eugenics and experimentation carried out in the name of science. It’s no place for children under 16, or for adults with a weak stomach, but without a doubt it is a fascinating experience that truly goes under the skin of history. (Text: Daniel Farò / Photo: (left, bottom) Thomas Bruns, (right) Christoph Weber)
Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin-Mitte; map
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun 10-17h; Wed, Sat 10-19h
Entrance: 7€
