1 April 1926
1 April 1926
The Institute of Foreign and International Private Law opens at the Berlin Palace under the aegis of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. Its founding director, Ernst Rabel, is an eminent scholar with a global vision who has helped found modern comparative law, which forms the crux of the Institute’s research. At first, the Institute’s tasks are determined by the political and economic challenges facing the Weimar Republic. The focus, however, soon shifts to basic research.
After the end of World War I, the renewed growth of global economic interdependence leads to an increased interest in foreign law in Germany. This focus is enhanced in part by the many private and transactional law issues resulting from the Treaty of Versailles. The Institute is thus established partly out of practical considerations, and in its early years it is funded primarily by the private sector. From the very beginning, the Institute’s staff prepares expert opinions for courts and business associations. Rabel himself described this work as a solemn duty. At the same time, the Institute maintains close ties with the Friedrich Wilhelm University (now the Humboldt University in Berlin), where Rabel serves both as dean and professor of Roman law, civil law, foreign law, and comparative law. Like Rabel, the other Institute researchers are also engaged in academic work at the law faculty of the university.
Colourized postcard showing the Berlin Palace circa 1917. The Institute opens on the fourth floor on 1 April 1926 in a section of the building seen on the left, between the striking rectangular tower and the lower wing facing the Spree. With its pointed, oxidized copper roof, the building is known as “the Green Hat”.
In the 1920s, the Berlin Palace is developed into a centre for culture and scholarship. Numerous influential institutions are located here, among them the administrative headquarters of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. Also present are the “Notgemeinschaft der deutschen Wissenschaft” (the predecessor of today’s German Research Foundation) and the German Academic Exchange Service, established in 1925, as well as several additional university institutes and museums.
Alongside the Institute of Foreign and International Private Law, the Berlin Palace also houses the Institute of Foreign Public Law and International Law, established two years earlier. Both occupy a special position within the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, which is otherwise dominated by the natural and engineering sciences.
Founding document
