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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Paraboloid condenser from Carl Zeiss
(c. 1900) Paraboloid condenser from Carl Zeiss, used for dark field illumination,
and dated from c. 1900. In 1846, Carl Zeiss opened a workshop for precision
mechanics and optical instruments in Jena. He focused his activities more and
more on microscope production. Soon he was supplying not only the regional
market but also shipping his wares around the world. In 1866, Carl Zeiss
recruited the physicist Ernst Abbe to help him improve his microscopes. In
1877, Ernst Abbe became a partner in the company. After the passing of Carl
Zeiss in 1889, Ernst Abbe created the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which would
become the company’s sole owner. Since the 1890s, Abbe’s findings and his
style of working have also been adopted in other fields of optics. This led
to the creation of all-new products, new business areas and rapid growth for
the company. In 1893, the first subsidiary was opened in London. Before the
outbreak of WWI, sites were established across the world, which then had to
be closed when war broke out. There were more ups and downs between then and
1945. Thereafter, the sites outside Germany have been developing in a stable
manner and today, Carl Zeiss AG is a holding company with several
subsidiaries. In addition to its sites in Oberkochen
and Jena, its main production sites are in Wetzlar
and Göttingen in Germany, Dublin and Minneapolis in the US, and Shanghai in
China. LAST
EDITED: 15.08.2020 |