June/July 2012 -- A Physics Tour of Northern Europe
Growing up, my heroes were Albert Einstein and Neils Bohr and Marie Curie: larger-than-life figures known in the popular zeitgeist, not for their particular contributions to science, but for the vague understanding that they had done Something, and that whatever that Something was, it had changed the world more surely than the contributions of easily-understood figures like Winston Churchill and Pierre Trudeau and Tommy Douglas.
So, faced with a summer vacation, I set off, by any means available and with a knapsack full of biographies, to visit the hometowns, museums, and sites of inspiration of my childhood heroes.
Warsaw, Poland - Childhood Home of Marie Curie
Most accounts describe Marie Curie as a fiercely patriotic Polish nationalist. I have my suspicions -- her husband Pierre was strongly opposed to nationalism, and Marie never returned to Poland late in life -- but there is no denying that Marie Curie, born Maria Sklodowska, is a product of Warsaw's great turmoil in the second half of the 19th century (image below from Wikimedia).
I visited the Marie Curie museum in Warsaw. It's a charming place, large enough to keep class of high school students busy for about 20 minutes. I liked both the personal effects, like one of Marie's signature black dresses, and a collection of experimental apparatus. The best biography is Marie Curie: A Life by Susan Quinn.
Frombork, Poland - Home of Nicolaus Copernicus
From the gorgeous town of Gdansk, infrequent public transit can deliver you to the historically-significant village of Frombork. It was while he was a canon at Frombork that Copernicus wrote De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (usually translated as On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), the work that proposed a heliocentric universe and, it is widely believed, kick-started the scientific revolution. The tremendous Frombork Cathedral is open to the public, and is the town's main tourist destination.
Copenhagen, Denmark - Home of Neils Bohr
Neils Bohr is sometimes labeled as Denmark's most famous son, and it is difficult to overstate the role he had on the development of physics during the first half of the 20th century. His research contributions were first-rate, the institute that bears his name remains a world center of physics research, and he exemplified compassion in reaching out to help those trapped in Germany during the Nazi regime (image below from Wikimedia, from AB Lagrelius & Westphal).
Abraham Pais' biography, Neils Bohr's Times, is the definitive account of Bohr's life and work. For me, the highlight of my visit to Copenhagen was the opportunity to walk around the Faelledparken, the park behind the Neils Bohr Institute where Bohr and his guests famously strolled as they discussed developments, from quantum theory to nuclear fission to politics.
Ven, Sweden - Island Observatory of Tycho Brahe
Brahe was the benchmark fascinating aristocrat astronomer. He was a talented observer and designer of astronomical measuring instruments. In 1576, he was granted the island of Hven (now Ven) to build an observatory and mansion, which he named Uranienborg (image below from Wikimedia).
Ven hosts the remains of Uranienborg, including a full-size working quadrant and sextant. Ironically, although he was staunchly anti-Copernican, Brahe's meticulous observations were used by his successor, Johannes Kepler, to conclusively show that the solar system is heliocentric, and that the planets follow elliptical orbits. This would have been a double-blow for Brahe, who venerated the classical conception of circular perfection in the heavens, so it is perhaps fortunate that he died from a ruptured bladder after "holding it" for too long at a formal dinner.
Kungalv, Sweden - Lise Meitner's Christmas Insight
Lise Meitner, perhaps Germany's brightest theoretical physicist, was born into a Jewish family in Austria, so the 1938 Anschluss meant she had to leave, and quickly. With the help of Dirk Coster and Adriaan Foster, she was able to escape to the Netherlands and, eventually, settle in Sweden. During the Christmas holiday of 1938, Meitner and her nephew Otto Frisch stayed with friends in the sleepy village of Kungalv, about 20 km north of Gothenburg.
It was there that Meitner first understood the process of nuclear fission. Tragically, the Nobel Prize for this work went not to Meitner, but to her male collaborator Otto Hahn. I suggest Ruth Sime's Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics for more information. The hotel at which Meitner stayed is still running. If you go, ask at the desk for directions to the plaque on the house of Meitner's hosts during that Christmas holiday.
Helgoland, Germany -- Werner Heisenberg's Allergy Relief
In 1925, suffering from a attack of Hay Fever, the German physicist Werner Heisenberg retreated to the tiny island of Helgoland, 3 hours sail off the northwest coast of the German mainland. With his head clear, he was finally able to formulate the mathematically-complex quantum theory with which he has been wrestling. Heisenberg's ambiguous involvement with the Nazi atomic bomb effort makes him a shadowy historical figure, but his contribution to the field of quantum physics is unquestionable.
Helgoland is frequented primarily by those who seek its duty-free shops, but it is certainly an island worth visiting for the ambiance of sharp cliffs plunging into the cold North Sea. If you go, the Haus der Jugend youth hostel is your budget accommodation choice, but be sure to book in advance.
Gottingen, Germany - Emmy Noether and Everyone Else
The history of German physics is punctuated profoundly by the impact of Nazism. Many brilliant scientists were forced to leave the country because of their ethnic or religious background, political stance, or gender. Emmy Noether's contributions to mathematical physics are probably incomparable, yet she was forced to flee in 1933. I went to Gottingen hoping to find a copy of her doctoral thesis in the library, but it was kept under lock and key, and inaccessible to a tourist like myself. While many of the places I'd visited embraced their unique history, the University of Gottingen seemed unwilling to do so. For an institution with such a legacy, it's surprising that the physics institute lacks statues or icons. I didn't stick around (image below from Wikimedia, from Daniel Schwen).
Bern, Switzerland - Einstein Museum
There's no scientist more famous than Albert Einstein. That his name is a household synecdoche for "genius" is, I think, a deserved honour. Einstein's fame comes from his invaluable contributions to science, but also from his courageous moral stances, including his support for Zionism and his strong opposition to nuclear armament (image below from Wikimedia).
The Einstein Museum in Bern is a world-class institution, and unquestionably worth a visit. I found some aspects of the exhibit a little too focused on the culture of the times, and there was scant discussion of his physics, but that's likely a wise sacrifice for the general public. Abraham Pais' other great biography, Subtle is the Lord, is the best account of the life and work of Albert Einstein.
Genera, Switzerland - CERN
The European laboratory for nuclear research is located on the outskirts of the beautiful metropolitan city of Geneva. This is a town in which it is easy to feel you are too poor to belong, which isn't far off from the truth if 30 Euros a night for the town's cheapest hostel feels steep. Fortunately, the town's efficient trams will deliver you directly to CERN's main entrance.
The round building in the background is The Globe, a science outreach center. The visitor center across the street has a comprehensive and interesting history of CERN's work and major discoveries. Of course, the real science is happening hundreds of meters underground, and tourists cannot get too close to the facilities without a pre-booked tour. Be sure to schedule your tour several months in advance for the busy summer months.
Advice: What sustained me through this trip was the combination of reading and visiting. Seeing the plaque in Kungalv was an emotional moment for me, because I had already developed a strong attachment to Meitner's story. If you've got some time, a bit of cash, and a penchant for travel, consider constructing your own themed tour. And if you're thinking about doing a science-themed trip, write me -- I'd love to hear about it, and might be able to offer some useful pointers.
