Joseph von Fraunhofer’s historic glassworks, in the grounds of Benediktbeuern Abbey in Bavaria, has officially reopened. The building had suffered severe damage in a storm in 2023 and was fully repaired with €2 million of funding from the state of Bavaria.
It was there that Joseph von Fraunhofer, a native of Straubing, took over management of the glassworks at the age of 24. He started out as a glass polisher and became a renowned researcher and successful entrepreneur, later lending his name to the Fraunhofer Society.
At the ceremony, a commemorative plaque was unveiled and the European Physical Society designated the site a “Historic Site”, a distinction for places of importance in the history of physics in Europe.
The space now features a renovated exhibition with digital technology, including an artificial intelligence avatar that tells visitors Fraunhofer’s story. “Joseph von Fraunhofer was a researcher, craftsman and entrepreneur all at once,” said the president of the Fraunhofer Society, Holger Hanselka.
