Senckenberg German Entomological Institute
The German Entomological Institute , located in Müncheberg since 2004 and part of the Senckenberg Society for Natural Research as Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI) since 2009 , is an insectological research institution that was founded in 1886 as the National Entomological Museum (ENM).
Foundation of the ENM
Since about 1870 the entomologist Gustav Kraatz tried to found a German National Entomological Museum (ENM). To this end, in 1880 he donated his collection of European and exotic beetles as well as his insect science library, which is rich in valuable works. Another six beetle collectors from Berlin, Breslau and Frankfurt am Main joined him as "original founders". The ENM was founded on June 7th, 1886 by an agreement between Kraatz and the board of directors of the Märkisches Provinzial-Museum in Berlin. It was agreed to provide some rooms for the ENM in the planned new building of the Provincial Museum. During the transition period, the holdings were to be housed in the municipal savings bank building on Zimmerstrasse (Berlin-Mitte).
Kraatzsche Foundation
Contrary to all agreements, the Märkisches Provinzialmuseum was opened without a zoological department. As a result, Kraatz changed the foundation's provisions in favor of an independent “Dr. Kraatzschen Foundation from 1903 ”. He bought the house at Thomasiusstrasse 21 in Berlin-Moabit and from 1904 uses an entire floor for the ENM. In 1907 Kraatz determined in his will that his place on the foundation board of trustees and that of the director should be taken by a delegate elected by the German Entomological Society . Initially, the representative for life was Walther Horn . In 1909 Kraatz bought a plot of land from the Royal Commission for the division of the Dahlem domain . When Kraatz died in the same year, he left the building site and a fortune of 853,000 gold marks to the foundation. In 1910, the new institute was started in Dahlem at Gosslerstrasse 20. The architect was Heinrich Straumer , who also designed the future institute's logo.
German Entomological Museum (DEM)
In order to settle the disputes about the independence of the Kraatzsche Foundation, especially with the director of the Royal Zoological Museum of Berlin University, the city of Berlin finally accepted the Kraatzsche inheritance on December 11, 1911. At the same time, the name of the collection and library was changed to "German Entomological Museum" (DEM). The inauguration of the new building in Berlin-Dahlem took place on November 2, 1912. In addition to Walther Horn as director, Sigmund Schenkling worked as custodian as well as an assistant and a typist at the DEM .
German Entomological Institute (DEI)
After the turmoil of the First World War , Horn succeeded in having the word “museum” replaced by “institute” in 1920 through a municipal resolution. The designation "museum" was seen by Horn as an obstacle to the intended takeover by Reich authorities such as the Reich Ministry of Food or the Biological Reichsanstalt in Dahlem. In 1922, after difficult negotiations, the DEI was finally incorporated into the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science (KWG). The holdings, real estate and the remaining capital were transferred to KWG, whereby the Kraatzsche Foundation expired, but Horn was taken over as director. The collaboration with the Biological Reichsanstalt for joint scientific tasks was further intensified. The government councilor Hans Sachtleben was delegated to the DEI as their representative and became Horn's deputy. In 1938, Willi Hennig was hired as a research assistant, after having worked as a scholarship holder at DEI the year before. After Horn's death in 1939, Sachtleben was initially acting director and from 1943 new director of the DEI. In the same year, the extensive collections and the library were moved to Blücherhof Castle in the Lutgendorf community near Vollrathsruhe in the Waren (Müritz) district in order to avoid war damage to the holdings.
Surviving after World War II
The institute initially survived the war relatively well. There were only major cuts when Wolfgang Schwenke left the institute in 1959/1960 and then, for political reasons, Willi Hennig in 1961 . Finally, in 1962, Hans Sachtleben retired. So it was left to his successor, Heinz Fankhänel , to look around for a new institute building. In 1963, by decision of the Presidium of the German Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Berlin, the main building of the disbanded forestry faculty of the Humboldt University in Eberswalde became the new domicile of the DEI. With the affiliation of the DEI to the Institute for Plant Protection Research Kleinmachnow in 1971, its traditional name disappeared for the next two decades. However, the institute and its collection continued to exist as a research area.
Start-up
After reunification, Joachim Oehlke played a decisive role in the re-establishment . After moving to its own new building in Müncheberg , the institute was integrated into the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF). The institute has been part of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research since 2009 and has been called the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute since then .