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| The Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt |
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The idea of creating the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt (PTR) dated back to Schellbach’s exposé entitled ”Über die Gründung eines Museums für die exakten Wissenschaften” (On the Foundation of a Museum for the Exact Sciences) published in 1872. However, it was the endeavors of the industrialist Werner von Siemens from 1882 onwards – and the gift of a building site in particular – that ultimately led to the foundation of the ”Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt für die experimentelle Förderung der exakten Naturwissenschaften und der Präzisionstechnik” (Imperial Physical Technical Institute for the Experimental Advancement of the Exact Sciences and Precision Technology).
The institute was founded by a resolution passed by the German Imperial Parliament (”Reichstag”) on March 28, 1887. Organizationally, it consisted of a Physics Department and a Technical Department which, however, worked together on research projects. The former included laboratories for heat, electricity and optics, while the latter encompassed labs for precision metrology, heat and pressure, and the Optical Laboratory (in 1914, the departments were assigned to individual subject areas). On October 1, 1887 the Technical Department commenced its work on temporary premises at Charlottenburg Technical University in Berlin. The first President of the PTR was Hermann von Helmholtz. A committee comprising personalities from the field of science, commerce and government served as a supervisory board for the institute’s scientific and technical activities. In the early years, the members included Ernst Abbe, Rudolf Clausius, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and Werner von Siemens.
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