Bologna The Crescenzi-Pacinotti Scientific Collection
The Crescenzi-Pacinotti Scientific Collection Photos
About The Crescenzi-Pacinotti Scientific Collection
Inside this building is one of the most important collections of Italian scientific instruments from the 1800s, some of which were used by Pacinotti and Righi, noted pioneers of Physics.
Just inside the main entrance is this memorial to one of the school’s past professors of history: Giuseppe Kirner. He died at the young age of 37.
The institute was established in 1862 and named Pier Crescenzi. It was the first technical school of its kind and later added further subjects like physics and chemistry to its curriculum.
Down the hall way is this room which houses the library, museum and historical archives.
There are 10 cupboards here containing all sorts of historical instruments some even quite valuable. They were originally used for scientific demonstrations and didactic purposes. Although some of the instruments were made internally here since the late 18 – early 1900s, others came from much further a field having been collected and brought here. Each collection is grouped according to their uses in physics, mechanics, acoustics, thermodynamics, meteorology, optics, and electromagnetism.
On the walls above or beside the cupboards are various drawings relating to botany. They have been hand-drawn as would have been the practice in those early days.
The library has thoroughly categorised and listed each instrument noting too, its technical characteristics on computer for additional research or simply if anyone wants to find out more about a particular item.
The use of scientific instruments has always been considered fundamental however this may have had greater significance towards the end of antiquity. The advantages of developing instruments became more evident through the agricultural industry and for sea and land orientation. Thus, when such instruments like the telescope, microscope, thermometer, and barometer were invented for everyday use their applications were soon noticed within laboratories. From the 1800s these instruments were used with greater frequency with the consequences that other instruments were invented for use in communication, transport, illumination and in medicine.
Typical experiments with acoustics were observing the sounds and vibrations of objects with elastic properties, while electricity and magnetism had long been discovered from the 1600s by William Gilbert. It was only much later when other scientists such as Newton and Marconi for example, that greater strides in harnessing these discoveries resulted in more practical uses.
In the filed of theory, this is where Antonio Pacinotti and Augusto Righi who taught in this school at the end of the 1800s, inspired future generations to be bolder and more creative. Their combined influence over teaching methods and the ability to include other fields of study under the same roof meant that this institute would lead the way in technological education for many years.
Nearby is a small glass cabinet of model mushrooms. They were hand made and form part of the same didactic purposes as the earlier posters of botany on the walls.
Next to this is the archive room where every school register is kept even from the very beginning in 1862. Past tradition of recording every name was written in hand, including details of the parents and their professions. Now of course it’s all computerised and not as intrusive.
On the wall here are a few photos of directors of the school who served at the beginning including one of Pacinotti.