Calendar of the Francke Foundations

Pharmaceutical worlds of knowledge in the past and present

Lecture evenings with the Institute of Pharmacy and the Research Unit

In November 2024 and April 2025, the Institute of Pharmacy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Research Unit and the Friends of the Francke Foundations are organizing two joint lecture evenings on “Pharmaceutical Knowledge Worlds in the Past and Present”.

On the first evening, the focus will be on herbal medicine knowledge that has been or is being acquired and exchanged in different contexts in the past and present. The cooperation project “Tri-Sustain”, which researches the pharmaceutical use of African plants, will be presented - it is an association of researchers from several sub-Saharan African countries and MLU Halle. This will be set in relation to practices of pharmacological knowledge production in missions of the 17th/18th century.

On the second evening, current findings from pharmacy history research on alchemical practice at Halle's orphanage, now the Francke Foundations, will be presented. These will be introduced by an overview of the laboratory technique of distillation since antiquity. A project will also be presented that makes an outstanding manuscript source of alchemical knowledge digitally available to researchers and the general public for the first time.

Thursday, 04/24/2025

Alchemy and the art of pharmacy

A lecture evening organized by the Institute of Pharmacy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Research Unit and the Friends of the Francke Foundations. 

Venue: Neubauer Hall, Francke Foundations, House 52, and online at:
https://francke-halle.webex.com/francke-halle/j.php?MTID=mdc4edc76526307dd83404f89f8a0e26e 

Program:

Greeting from the President of the Friends of the Francke Foundations Johanna Mierendorff (Halle)

»On the history of distillation technology from antiquity to the early modern period« Andreas Mendel (Brackenheim)

»Alchemical practices of drug production at the Halle orphanage in the 18th century« Claudia Weiß (Halle)

»A treasure of alchemy history meets AI. Transcription and digital provision of the recipe collection of the alchemist Samuel Richter from 1712« Claudia Brandt (Halberstadt)

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, Neubauer-Saal

Highlights

»in Engelland bekannt, und von vielen beliebet und verlanget«

16. July 2025

farbiger Stadtplan von London im 18. Jahrhundert

Die Franckeschen Stiftungen und England im 18. Jahrhundert

Kolloquium im Dr. Liselotte Kirchner-Stipendienprogramm

17. July 2025

Young researchers follow a colleague's lecture online on a large video screen.

Sommerserenade auf dem Altan

24. July 2025

Ein Abend zwischen Kulturgeschichte, Musik und Sommerstimmung

Kultur-Aperitif

20. August 2025

Kurze, pointierte und unterhaltsame Führung zur Mittagszeit mit geselligem Ausklang

Sommerkurs des Studienzentrums August Hermann Francke

25. - 29. August 2025

Einführung in die Arbeit mit Handschriften und alten Drucken aus den Beständen des Archivs und der Bibliothek der Franckeschen Stiftungen.

Familienstunde im Museum

07. September 2025

Ein Junge stützt sich auf eine Vitrine in der barocken Wunderkammer und ist begeistert von dem, was er sieht.

Tag des offenen Denkmals

14. September 2025

Wie die Kulissen in einem barocken Theater ragen die Bücherregale der Historischen Bibliothek in den Saal.

Erhalten und Erneuern: Denkmalpflege trifft neue Nutzung

Der Besuch des preußischen Königs

14. September 2025

Two actors perform the dialogue between Francke and King Frederick William I on the stairs of the Historic Orphanage during his visit in 1713.

Theatraler Rundgang durch das Historische Waisenhaus

Vernetzen. Verändern. Gestalten. Kulturelle Bildung trifft Soziale Arbeit.

18. September 2025

Praxis-Fachtagung in den Franckeschen Stiftungen

Wissensdurst: Limo + Lauschen + Loslegen

09. October 2025

Ein volles, ein halbvolles und ein fast leeres Glas aus Legosteinen
© Barbara Werner / Vermittlung Franckesche Stiftungen

Miniaturworkshops und interaktive Vorträge

  

Events

Pharmaceutical worlds of knowledge in the past and present

Lecture evenings with the Institute of Pharmacy and the Research Unit

In November 2024 and April 2025, the Institute of Pharmacy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Research Unit and the Friends of the Francke Foundations are organizing two joint lecture evenings on “Pharmaceutical Knowledge Worlds in the Past and Present”.

On the first evening, the focus will be on herbal medicine knowledge that has been or is being acquired and exchanged in different contexts in the past and present. The cooperation project “Tri-Sustain”, which researches the pharmaceutical use of African plants, will be presented - it is an association of researchers from several sub-Saharan African countries and MLU Halle. This will be set in relation to practices of pharmacological knowledge production in missions of the 17th/18th century.

On the second evening, current findings from pharmacy history research on alchemical practice at Halle's orphanage, now the Francke Foundations, will be presented. These will be introduced by an overview of the laboratory technique of distillation since antiquity. A project will also be presented that makes an outstanding manuscript source of alchemical knowledge digitally available to researchers and the general public for the first time.

Thursday, 04/24/2025

Alchemy and the art of pharmacy

A lecture evening organized by the Institute of Pharmacy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Research Unit and the Friends of the Francke Foundations. 

Venue: Neubauer Hall, Francke Foundations, House 52, and online at:
https://francke-halle.webex.com/francke-halle/j.php?MTID=mdc4edc76526307dd83404f89f8a0e26e 

Program:

Greeting from the President of the Friends of the Francke Foundations Johanna Mierendorff (Halle)

»On the history of distillation technology from antiquity to the early modern period« Andreas Mendel (Brackenheim)

»Alchemical practices of drug production at the Halle orphanage in the 18th century« Claudia Weiß (Halle)

»A treasure of alchemy history meets AI. Transcription and digital provision of the recipe collection of the alchemist Samuel Richter from 1712« Claudia Brandt (Halberstadt)

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, Neubauer-Saal

Exhibitions

300 Jahre Neugier. Verborgenes Wissen aus der Wunderkammer

Jahresausstellung 2025

Detail
11. May 2025 - 06. April 2026Haus 1 - Historisches Waisenhaus

Kammer der (Um)-Ordnung

Arbeiten zur Wunderkammer

Detail
12. July - 14. August 2025Haus 1 - Historisches Waisenhaus

Francke in Transition

Join us in designing the new exhibition on the founder of the foundation!

Detail
11. September 2022Haus 28

Historisches Waisenhaus

Ein Schloss für die Bildung

Detail
Haus 1 - Historisches Waisenhaus

Kunst- und Naturalienkammer

3000 Wunder der Welt

Detail
Haus 1 - Historisches Waisenhaus

Kulissenbibliothek

»Eine der besten Bibliotheken der Zeit«

Detail
Haus 22

Pietismus-Kabinett

Kraft des Wortes

Detail
Haus 1 - Historisches Waisenhaus

Rundgang durch das Kulturdenkmal

300 Jahre Bildung in einer einzigartigen Architekturlandschaft

Detail

Waisenhaus-Kabinett

Weltveränderung durch Menschenveränderung

Detail
Haus 1 - Historisches Waisenhaus