Wilhelm-Ostwald-Park

About the museum

The chemist Wilhelm Ostwald, professor of physical chemistry in Leipzig, bought a plot of land on the edge of Großbothen in the Mulde valley in 1901. When his departure from the university was approaching, he had the existing house converted in 1905/06 into a residence and workplace with a laboratory and library, and moved there with his family in 1906. By 1916 houses for his sons and a separate laboratory building were added, and the grounds grew to seven hectares. After his life motto of not wasting energy, Ostwald named the property the country estate "Energie" (Energy); his theory of color was developed here, among other things. In 1909 he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

After Ostwald's death in 1932 the estate remained undivided; his daughter Grete founded an Ostwald Archive in 1936. In 1953 the heirs donated the property to the Academy of Sciences of the GDR, which ran an archive and research site there and in 1973 set up a memorial in the former work rooms in Haus Energie. After 1990 the property went to the Free State of Saxony; plans to hand it over to a hotel investor failed because of protests.

Since 2009 the estate has belonged to the Gerda und Klaus Tschira Stiftung, which runs the museum, archive, and a conference center. The permanent exhibition in Haus Energie shows the largely original rooms with laboratory table and a library of around 24,000 titles, plus a visible storage area with scientific instruments and over 1000 landscape paintings and thousands of color studies by Ostwald. In 2005 the site was designated a Historic Site of Chemistry.

Highlights

• Original laboratory with Ostwald's lab table
• Scholar's library with around 24,000 titles
• Visible storage with scientific instruments, landscape paintings, and color studies
• Seven hectares of park with quarry, family burial site, wind wheel, and horse gin
• Room on the history of the Nobel Prize
• Experimental programs for children and school classes

Permanent exhibitions

• Wilhelm Ostwalds Leben und Wirken – The former work and living rooms in Haus Energie show stages in the researcher's life, his library, the laboratory, and the history of the Nobel Prize. A visible storage area rounds out the tour with instruments and color studies.

Founded

1973

Operated by

Gerda und Klaus Tschira Stiftung

Admission & discounts

Educational museum programs €50 per group (max. 12 children) plus €1.50 materials per child; nature education programs from €25 per group.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The permanent exhibition in Haus Energie is accessible. Many park paths and the outdoor terraces are partly wheelchair-accessible. The exhibition rooms in Haus Werk are not fully accessible, and the second floor can only be reached by stairs. The accessible restroom is in Haus Werk. Tours for blind and visually impaired people by registration.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Age-appropriate tours for children aged 5 to 10 and 10 to 18, experimental programs on chemistry, physics, and color theory for daycare and school groups, and nature education programs in the park. Once a year, the action day "Experimentieren im Park" (Experimenting in the Park) invites preschool and elementary school children and their families.

Getting there & parking

From the north via the A14, Grimma exit, then B107 toward Colditz to just past the Großbothen town limit; from the south via the B107 to the end of Großbothen. By bike via the Mulderadweg, turn toward Ostwald Park in Kleinbothen.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Coffee and tea are available in the "Energie-Reich" exhibition room. Postcards, books, and honey and apple juice from the museum's own orchard meadow are on sale. Guest rooms for conference guests.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 50 guests.

Conference center with three meeting rooms for up to 50 people in the houses Glückauf and Werk, overnight accommodation for up to 19 people and an in-house kitchen; primarily for nonprofit and scientific institutions.

Plan your visit