Baer Museum

In Tartu, Baer lived in a house that was built in the mid-1860s. On 29 September 1976, a permanent display reflecting his life and activities as a scientist was opened on the ground floor of these rooms. This gives a survey of the scientific papers of the “northern Humboldt” as Baer was called. One can look at his large writing desk, his plant and bird collections, and the bust of him by sculptor August Weizenberg, which was prepared for the Naturalists’ Society of Tartu (for which Baer served as president for many years). The researchers of the museum continue investigations into the scientific activities of Baer. Articles are regularly published on Baer and on the history of science, with the aim to show Estonian achievements in the context of world culture. The museum has its own serial publication, Folia Baeriana, which has been issued since 1975; it is a non-periodical, for which seven volumes have been published. In collaboration with the Estonian Naturalists’ Society, the anniversary of Baer’s birth — 28 February, called Baer Day — is celebrated every year by a small scientific conference.