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)
Highlights
Familienstunde im Museum
04. January 2026
Kultur-Aperitif
21. January 2026
Kurze, pointierte und unterhaltsame Führung zur Mittagszeit mit geselligem Ausklang
Der Besuch des preußischen Königs
22. January 2026
Theatraler Rundgang durch das Historische Waisenhaus
Kolloquium im Dr. Liselotte Kirchner-Stipendienprogramm
02. February 2026
Healing body and soul. Medicine and Hygiene in the 18th Century
02. May - 17. October 2021
In 1721, the foundation stone for the children's hospital in Germany was laid at the Francke Foundations. The 300th anniversary of this event is the occasion for the annual...
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)
