Wilhelm V. Humboldt and Euskal Herria

Exactly 200 years ago in April and May 1801, Wilhelm von Humboldt visited the Basque Country on a research trip that was to help unveil the mystery of the Basques. He was the brother of the famous naturalist Alexander v. Humboldt, who journeyed to the new world through the good offices of Mariano de Urquijo, another Basque.

This exhibition is a tribute to the memory of Wilhelm, who aroused such kind feelings for Euskal Herria.

Wilhelm von Humboldt believed that the world was perceived preferentially through language. His scientific goal was to make a comparative study of languages and national characters as their vital contents. His extensive studies of the Basque language helped him become one of the founders of modern compared philology. He also worked to learn Basque, though he was not a professional linguist. He was interested in politics, enthusiastic about philosophy and education reform -indeed he founded the University of Berlin-but above all he was a great humanist and a friend of the Basques.