Wilhelm Wundt in Großbothen and in Heidelberg - Myth and Reality. An illuminating look at accessible primary sources

For several decades, there have been various campaigns for the preservation and renovation of a so-called "Wilhelm Wundt House" in Großbothen near Leipzig, appealing to public funds and private donations both nationally and internationally. This overlooks the fact that Wilhelm Wundt owned a house in Heidelberg from 1902 to 1919, which he regularly visited during the winter and summer semester holidays, and which he only reluctantly gave up on account of the housing shortage after the First World War, which had led to the mandatory lodging of refugees in private houses. Basing on numerous primary sources, we attempt to shed light on the significance of Heidelberg and Großbothen in Wilhelm Wundt's life at the beginning of the 20th century. Along the way, we will correct several errors that can be found in the secondary literature and on various websites about Wilhelm Wundt and Großbothen. As we will argue in the following, a "Wilhelm Wundt House" in Großbothen exists at best in name only. Anything else is a myth.

English Translation of the original German article: Gundlach, H., Stock, A. & Schneider, W. (2025). Wilhelm Wundt in Großbothen und in Heidelberg – Mythe und Realität. Psychologische Rundschau [Vorab-Onlineveröffentlichung]. https://doi.org/10.1026/0033-3042/a000710.