Old Physicum 1886-1951
The building that is now home to the Pufendorf IAS was originally built in 1886 to house the Department of Physics at Lund University.
When the building was renovated, great importance was placed on preserving and incorporating elements from the layers of history. The original floor has been retained wherever possible, and any new flooring has been manufactured in the same way. The theatre balcony on the third floor is original – during the Department of Physics' era it was a vantage point for the physics experiments carried out in the middle of the hall below.
Several prominent researchers in atomic spectroscopy have been active in the house. Manne Siegbahn (1886-1978) who received the Nobel prize, made his well-known studies of X-ray transitions in atoms here, and Bengt Edlén (1906-1993) performed studies of the spectra of highly ionized atoms, and explained the origin of the spectral lines long observed in the solar corona. Edlén took the initiative for the construction of “New Physicum” for the expanding physics research in Lund.
Johannes Rydberg's (1854-1919) work in spectrum analysis was however the main reason why the European Physical Society’s (EPS) committee for Historic Sites appointed Old Physicum, currently the Pufendorf IAS, as an EPS Historic Site. Johannes Rydberg's work is remembered (among other things) for the Rydberg's formula and Rydberg's constant. Read an article about the appointment ceremony in 2022:
The Institute has been appointed a European Physical Society’s (EPS) Historic Site
Where Physics Meets Art
Stanley Micklavzina and Diane Sandall, a husband-and-wife team from Oregon, USA, have created a new exhibition for the Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies (Pufendorf IAS). This exhibition was inaugurated during Kulturnatten 2026.
The installation combines interactive science communication, historical storytelling and visual art. Stanley Micklavzina has developed an interactive display that allows visitors to explore light spectra and the physics behind Rydberg's famous equation. Alongside this, a specially designed table provides both a literal and symbolic foundation for the exhibition. He has also collaborated with a graphic artist to create a short animation showing how electron energy transitions can emit or absorb light.
For Diane, the centrepiece is a large painting, now hanging proudly at the institute, that weaves together the building's architecture, the history of physics and the process of scientific discovery itself.
The narrative of the painting follows the flow of discoveries through early atomic and quantum physics through to modern innovations," she says. "People are inspired by the research and insights of others and build on them, sometimes linearly, oftentimes laterally, and even being inspired to make intuitive leaps of their own.
Read the story about Stanley Micklavzina and Diane Sandall and their thoughts behind the exhibition:
Where Physics Meets Art: Bringing Old Fysicum's Story to Life | The Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies