Who Was Werner Heisenberg ?
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As a result of the recently increased public debate
about the person and character of my father, stimulated by Michael
Frayn's Tony Award winning Broadway play "Copenhagen", I decided to present
some pertinent material that highlights his integrity and humanity. It
may help anyone who is interested arrive at a better understanding of
my father's thinking and actions, just as his own account in "Physics
and Beyond" (Harper & Row 1971)
[German title: "Der Teil und das Ganze"]
and my mother's "Inner Exile - Recollections
of a Life with Werner Heisenberg" (Birkhäuser 1984) have attempted.
Also, the correspondence between my parents (1937-1946) have been published: "My Dear Li", Yale University Press, 2016. Furthermore, Werner Heisenberg's 1941 Essay "Ordnung der Wirklichkeit" has been translated and is supposed to be available with comments by E.P.Fischer soon under the title:"Reality and its Order" by Springer. In making this other material available to an English speaking public, I am hoping to reach the curious and the skeptical reader alike. This web-site will from time to time be expanded after its launch in December 2000. Last update by Jochen Heisenberg; Sept. 22, 2016 Translations for this web-site by Irene Heisenberg unless noted differently. |
Documents by Werner Heisenberg
View from the Urfeld terrace over lake Walchen (Walchensee) Werner Heisenberg in front of the Urfeld house |
1) 1946: Werner Heisenberg: Science as a Means of International Understanding 2) 1967: Werner Heisenberg: Interview in the Magazine "Der Spiegel" See also: Werner Heisenberg, Gesammelte Werke, Band V, Piper; also: Werner Heisenberg, Deutsche und Jüdische Physik, Helmut Rechenberg Hrsg., Piper
Addendum: WH letters not included or truncated in this book 5) Individual letters: |
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Werner Heisenberg sweeping the floor at his Urfeld summer house.ca. 1960 |
Personal comments by Werner Heisenberg's Children
Elisabeth Heisenberg (1914-1998) and Wolfgang (1938-1994) at the Leipzig Symposium held in honor of Werner Heisenberg's (1901-1976) 90th birthday. |
7) Wolfgang Heisenberg: Memories of My Father (1991) German Title: Erinnerungen an meinen Vater In: Geyer, Bodo u.a . (Hrsg.), Werner Heisenberg, Physiker und Philosoph, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag Heidelberg – Berlin – Oxford, 1993, ISBN 3 – 86025 – 033 - 7 8) 2002: Jochen Heisenberg: Frayn's 'Heisenberg': Fact or Fiction? Talk presented at the March 2nd, 2002 Symposium of the Smithsonian Institution ,Washington DC, organized by Brian Schwartz. 9) 2002: Jochen Heisenberg: Remarks about my father Remarks presented at the May 13th, 2002 Symposium at MIT, sponsored by the MIT Office of the Arts and the Goethe Institute Boston. 10) 2002: Martin Heisenberg: Op.Ed. Article in "Die Zeit" 11) 2002: Barbara Blum: Essay Heisenberg and Music Hausmusik: The Heisenberg's trio plays Beethoven Trio Op. 1 No 2 Piano: Werner Heisenberg, Violin: Wolfgang Heisenberg, Cello: Jochen Heisenberg recorded around 1960 movement 2 ; movement 4 |
Other items possibly of interest
Link to BBC web-site for an audio interview(1965) with Werner Heisenberg and C.F. von Weizsäcker relating to Copenhagen visit
Link to Niels Bohr Archive's Bohr letters.
If you have any questions or comments, we appreciate mail to irene.heisenberg@gmail.com or jochen.heisenberg@gmail.com