The Röntgen Memorial Site in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

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, is dedicated to the work of the German

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

(1845–1923) and his discovery of

X-rays An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nbs ...

, for which he was granted the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in physics. It contains an exhibition of historical instruments, machines and documents.

Location

The Röntgen Memorial Site is in the foyer, corridors and two laboratory rooms of the former Physics Institute of the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

in Röntgenring 8, a building that is now used by the

University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. The road, where the building lies, was renamed in 1909 from ''Pleicherring'' to ''Röntgenring''.

History

On the late Friday evening of 8. November 1895 Röntgen discovered for the first time the rays which penetrate through solid materials and gave them the name ''X-rays''. He presented this in a lecture and publication ''On a new type of rays - Über eine neue Art von Strahlen'' on 23 January 1896 at the Physical Medical Society of Würzburg. During the discussion of this lecture, the

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Albert von Kölliker proposed to call these rays ''Röntgen radiation'' after their inventor, a term that is still being used in Germany.Die Röntgen-Gedächtnisstätte.

Exhibition

The Röntgen Memorial Site gives an insight into the particle physics of the late 19th century. It shows an experimental set-up of cathodic rays beside the apparatus of the discovery. An experiment of penetrating solid materials by X-rays is shown in the historic laboratory of Röntgen. A separate room shows various X-ray tubes, a medical X-ray machine of

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from 1912 and several original documents. In the foyer a short German movie explains the purpose of the Memorial Site and the life of Röntgen. In the corridor some personal belongings of Röntgen are displayed to give some background information on his personal and historical circumstances. After remodeling in 2015 the tables and captures of the exhibition are now in English and German language.

Society

The site is managed by the non-profit organisation ''Kuratorium zur Förderung des Andenkens an Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in Würzburg e.V.''. It offers guided tours to Röntgen's lab.

References

External links

* Website of the
Röntgen Memorial Site in Würzburg
(page written in English and German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rontgen Memorial Site Wilhelm Röntgen Experimental particle physics Projectional radiography University of Würzburg X-rays