The Einstein Tower - Science and Architecture

The Einstein Tower is an important building from the German expressionist period of the early 20th century. The inner part of the tower houses a solar observatory. The Einstein Tower was designed by architect Erich Mendelsohn. After its completion, it was named after the 1921 Nobel Prize laureate for physics. Astrophysicist Erwin Finlay Freundlich was one of the first scientists to attempt experimental verification of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. In agreement with Einstein, Freundlich planned the construction of an observatory that would meet the specific technical requirements for this purpose. To his friend and architect Mendelsohn, Freundlich described in detail the developments of the Theory of General Relativity. Mendelsohn was enthusiastic about designing such an observatory and incorporating innovative ideas of architecture, whilst, of course, meeting the scientific requirements for the building. The future telescope was to be erected on a separate foundation inside the tower, independent from the remaining part of the building, which would serve predominantly as a protective shell.

Naturally organic!

The lengthy installation of the scientific equipment was not completed until 1924. The building is a prominent example of expressionist architecture but it also has elements of Art Nouveau. Albert Einstein called the scientific building “organic!“. In Mendelsohn’s style, the complex aspects of modern technology, mathematics, and physics are represented by intricate winding shapes and elegantly bending curves.