Immanuel Kant’s work continues to shape philosophical and political thought to this day. Where did Kant, born on April 22, 1724, come from, and what was his world like? While Kant left many questions open for posterity, this exhibition aims to provide answers regarding his cultural and historical background.
Image gallery
Kolorierter Stadtplan von Königsberg nach Matthäus Merian, um 1650
Kant taught at the Albertus University in Königsberg, the capital of the old Duchy of Prussia and later the province of East Prussia. Königsberg was his city; he rarely left it.
Nevertheless, he engaged with the European context of his time: Kant took an interest in current events, particularly the French Revolution; he engaged with the natural sciences as well as politics and maintained an exchange with the scholarly world of his time.
Kant’s work is explicitly written to improve humanity and, in his moral and political writings, is also addressed to humanity.
The central questions are: “What can I know?”, “What should I do?”, “What may I hope for?”, and “What is man?”
Twelve panels provide an overview of Kant’s biography, his place of work in Königsberg, its university, and the region within its historical context.
The focus is on the cultural-historical context of the philosopher and his place of work; Kant’s works and their reception are presented in summary form. In areas suitable for children, the exhibition aims to introduce the Königsberg philosopher to young people as well.
The exhibition is presented in cooperation with the German Cultural Forum for Eastern Europe, in conjunction with the East Prussian State Museum in Lüneburg, and the Federal Institute for Culture and History of Eastern Europe in Oldenburg.
