This site is dedicated to locating and reporting traces of the history of psychology throughout Europe. It is an outgrowth of several recent trips to Europe, during which I visited sites both well known and obscure. It occurred to me that an index to historical artifacts of psychology could enrich a visit to Europe, and help interested people locate some of the roots of our discipline.

From Darwin to Freud to Piaget, from Kaspar Hauser to Victor (the Wild Boy of Aveyron), Europe has been home to pioneers, great figures, and extraordinary cases in psychology. It is my hope that through contributions to this site, I can expand this database to include as much evidence as possible of the historical traces.

Rooting out traces of psychology is an inexact undertaking. While there are well-known sites of historical importance, much of significance is not so visibly marked or well known. For example, despite the historical significance to psychology of La Petite Salpêtrière in Paris, tangible recognition of people such as Binet, Pinel, Freud, and others is remarkably limited. A section of this sprawling institution is designated in Charcot's honor, and there is a small roadway designated "Allee Sigmund Freud." I may have missed additional items of significance here, of course, and would welcome comments from anyone who is aware of historical markers at this institution.

During my travels I have visited some of the well-known locations, which are included in my database. The most exciting undertakings, however, were those which took me to lesser-known locations, such as San Sernin, France, in search of markers of the Victor case. Then on many occasions I spent hours roaming around various cemeteries looking for gravestones, sometimes with success, often without. But failed searches were balanced by unexpected discoveries. For example, there was the fruitless rainy day in Père Lachaise in Paris searching for Gall’s stone. Only on a later visit did I locate Gall. On the other hand, on a building at the entrance to the Musée National d’Histoire in Paris, I unexpectedly encountered the plaque commemorating Lamarck’s years of residence. The highlight of serendipity was finding the memorial plaque to Lamarck in the Jardin Exotique in Monaco. Such finds sparked an interest in bringing together whatever scattered evidence may exist. 

As you have looked about Europe, perhaps you have located and photographed archives, special collections, monuments, gravestones, and so forth, which may be of interest to visitors to this website. I welcome contributions of original photographs and short descriptive passages to add to the contents of this site. The greater the volume of contributions, the better for expanding this database. Details for submitting items can be found on the CONTACT page.

Use the NAVIGATION BAR to look around this site. You might start with either the PEOPLE PAGE or the PLACES PAGE. The main text and photos are found on the TEXT/PICTURES page. The LINKS PAGE will take you to some relevant websites.

The opinions expressed in this document are those of the author, not of Rhode Island College.