Garching's research reactor as nuclear cultural heritage
© fstopimages/Malte Müller
The first article in the blog series explains how nuclear cultural heritage is defined. It also explains how nuclear cultural heritage is determined in Germany and where it has already developed. For our study, we examined three examples in more detail. Together, these examples cover a range of different categories of nuclear cultural heritage sites.
The second example focuses on research into nuclear energy. It looks at the first German research reactor in Garching near Munich. There, too, you can see how nuclear cultural heritage has developed.
Sites of potential nuclear cultural heritage around Munich
From farmland to research centre
The history of nuclear energy in Germany began in the early 1950s when Werner Heisenberg's research group at the Max Planck Institute for Physics (first in Göttingen and then in Munich) pushed for a German nuclear programme. However, the reactor research centre was established in Karlsruhe following a decision by the then Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Munich, around Heinz Maier-Leibnitz's group, was given the opportunity to order the so-called “Atomic Egg” (“Atom-Ei”) for the Technical University of Munich in the USA. The then Bavarian Minister President Wilhelm Hoegner and the Federal Minister for Atomic Affairs in 1955, Franz Josef Strauß, supported this development. In 1956, Maier-Leibnitz received approval and travelled to the USA a few days later to order the reactor. By October 1957, the Research Reactor I (FRM I) was already in operation. There was therefore only a short period of time between the application and commissioning. It was built in Garching, a suburb of Munich, which at that time still had a village character. In the years that followed, the research campus expanded and is now one of the largest research centres in the world. Garching developed accordingly from a small village into a town with good infrastructure and the Atomic Egg as its striking landmark. The Atomic Egg continues to be a symbol of identity for the town of Garching and has, for example, been incorporated into the town's coat of arms.
The Atomic Egg dominated the Garching cityscape for a long time.
© Alexandra Lampke
Practices and artefacts related to the Atomic Egg
At the centre of Munich's nuclear cultural heritage is the Research Reactor I (FRM I), the Atomic Egg, which was decommissioned in 2000. With its striking design, the reactor long dominated the Garching cityscape. Coming from the north on the motorway, it was the first sign of Munich. The aluminium-clad dome has been a listed building since 1997. The interior of the dome has been dismantled since 2014 and is to be made available as a venue for scientific research in the long term. There are also two large exhibitions on nuclear physics and energy technology at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Around one million people visit the energy technology exhibition each year. The research centre and the Deutsches Museum in Munich maintain close ties. The German Nuclear Heritage Archive (Archiv Deutsches Atomerbe) also collects documents relating to the FRM I.
On occasions such as anniversaries, the history of the Atomic Egg is repeatedly revisited, e.g. by students from the Chair of Fine Arts at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In this context, the media often recalls the topping-out ceremony for FRM I, at which the so-called atomic meal was served and the dishes were given appropriate names like “a receiving water broth with a nuclear filling” ("Vorfluterbrühe mit Kerneinlage"). The construction of the Atomic Egg is present in every aspect of Garching's city history, as evidenced by a podcast recorded by local citizens, an audio trail and a historical nature trail.
The second research reactor went into operation in 2004.
© Alexandra Lampke
The second research reactor triggered protests
In the 1980s, plans were made for a second research reactor, FRM II. After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster protests against this reacotor increased. The citizens' initiative Mothers Against Nuclear Power (Mütter gegen Atomkraft e.V.) was founded in 1986. In 1991 followed the founding of the citizens' initiative Citizens Against the Munich Nuclear Reactor (Bürger gegen Atomreaktor München e.V.), whose members campaigned specifically against the construction of the FRM II. Local politicians, NGOs and daily newspapers also expressed criticism.
Despite the resistance, the FRM II was built from 1996 to 2004 and went into operation in 2004. In contrast to the Atomic Egg, the FRM II is perceived as rather disruptive to the landscape: “It's a real eyesore in the landscape,” said one interviewee (Munich_ID3).
While the FRM I was perceived positively and seen more as a step into the modern age, the construction plans for the second research reactor were viewed critically from the outset. This is also reflected in media reports. The difference in perception can also be explained by the historical events that took place between the first and second research reactors.
Location of research centre has an impact on cultural and educational institutions
Today, interconnections within the scope of nuclear cultural heritage in the Munich region exist primarily between cultural and educational institutions and scientific research, as well as in parts of the (nuclear) energy industry. For example, museums such as the Deutsches Museum maintain close contacts with energy supply companies in order to obtain artefacts from nuclear facilities that are being decommissioned. This contact is also maintained in the opposite direction, i.e. energy supply companies approach museums and ask whether they are interested in certain artefacts.
Especially during the planning and construction of the FRM II, local politicians from the Alliance 90/The Greens party, members of the Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND), the citizens' initiatives Citizens Against the Garching Nuclear Reactor (Bürger Gegen Atomreaktor Garching e.V.), Mothers Against Nuclear Power and the Munich Environmental Institute (Umweltinstitut München e.V.) joined forces. Although they organised protests, they were unable to prevent the construction of FRM II.
The scientists who moved to the area had, and continue to have, a major impact on the development of Garching from a village to a town. For example, the infrastructure was expanded because of the research centre. The construction of the grammar school can also be traced back to the initiative of scientists who wanted their children to be able to take their Abitur, the general qualification exams for university entrance, without having to travel long distances. The town's club structure has also grown with the influx of new residents.
The nuclear cultural heritage around Munich is thus strongly influenced by the different discourses surrounding the first and second research reactors.
The next blog post will focus on Gorleben as a central concept in the German protest against nuclear power.
Dr. Melanie Mbah is Research Coordinator for Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research at Oeko-Institut and is involved in the GTPF, the German Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research.
Further information
Blog post ‘The nuclear cultural heritage in the Wismut region of Germany’
Blog post ‘What is nuclear cultural heritage?’
Study: ‘Mapping of places of potential nuclear heritage in Germany’ (in German)
Annotated bibliography of literature on nuclear cultural heritage in Germany
