Introduction

The Hustedt Collection is the world’s most comprehensive scientific collection of diatoms – microscopic algae with intricately patterned silica shells. In 2024, the collection was transferred from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven to the Herbarium of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin (BGBM), where it is now being curated, maintained, and further developed by the research group Algae (Diatoms). This move continues the more than 100-year history of this unique collection.

The collection was established by the German diatom researcher Dr. Friedrich Hustedt (1886–1968) and later named in his honor. It comprises over 100,000 microscope slides, 40,000 preserved samples (dry or in liquid), hundreds of type materials, and an extensive archive of drawings and scientific literature. This scientific treasure of immense international significance is now being preserved and further developed for research at the BGBM Berlin.