Liebig Museum

The Liebig Museum is the laboratory of the chemist Justus von Liebig (1803-1873), where he worked and taught from 1824 to 1852. Liebig was one of the founders of organic chemistry and made important contributions to agricultural science and the fertilizer industry. He was a pioneer of modern laboratory-based teaching. As Professor at the University of Gießen he was not permitted to teach about practical chemistry in pharmacy and manufacturing and so in 1825 he set up his own institute in part of a disused army barracks. He and his family lived in an apartment above. The institute was finally included in the university in 1833 and in 1839 he built a new wing.

After Liebig’s time the laboratory remained unchanged and eventually was preserved for its historical importance. Several laboratory rooms and a lecture theatre are presented as they were in the mid-nineteenth century. Archival material and images are also shown. There are display panels and guided tours and some live experiments are demonstrated.