Zaragoza (EFE).- Tie, in a suit and wearing his characteristic hairstyle and moustache, a theatrical version of the scientist Albert Einstein has returned to Zaragoza this Monday to commemorate his visit to the city one hundred years ago. He then gave two talks at the Faculty of Medicine and Science and got to know a small part of the scientific and cultural life of the Aragonese capital.
And a busy schedule is what also awaits the actor from the company Los Navegantes Jesús Pescador, who embodies the author of the theory of relativity and who has been received in the Auditorium itself as if he were the very scientific celebrity by authorities such as the rector of the University of Zaragoza, José Antonio Mayoral; the vice mayor, Sara Fernández; or the Government delegate in Aragon, Rosa Serrano.
“Good morning everyone, don’t worry, I won’t speak German, because the hundred years that have passed since my visit here have allowed me to learn some Spanish”, said a jocular Einstein when speaking at this meeting, which Students from the Goya Institute have also attended, as representatives of the hundreds of students participating in these days of scientific dissemination.
The honor of having met Ramón y Cajal
In his speech, the German physicist recalled the honor it was to meet his contemporary Santiago Ramón y Cajal and, visibly moved, he even started with a jota: “Don’t be surprised if Albert Einstein weeps, this day, for returning to Zaragoza ”.
In fact, it is said that during his visit he played the violin at a party at the German consulate and was moved to hear two joteras sing. He also visited El Pilar, the Cathedral of La Seo, the Aljafería or La Lonja.
“A hundred years ago the tourist package already existed because in fifty hours Einstein toured all of Zaragoza”, joked the deputy mayor, whose institution collaborates through twelve guided tours, ten of which are for secondary school students and two for the general public, which They will be held until the end of the month, by the hand of Zaragoza Turismo.
From the Ministry of Science and Innovation, César López, head of the Dissemination Unit, has stated that “at a time when there was no television and the cinema was silent”, Einstein managed to become an iconic and popular figure ” thanks in part to the tours he did around the world, with stops in the United States, Japan, China, Argentina and Spain, where apart from Zaragoza he also visited Madrid and Barcelona.
stimulated curiosity about science
“Many of those who packed the rooms that Einstein used to give his lectures, perhaps did not fully understand what the theory of relativity was, but he managed to stimulate their curiosity for science and that is what all of us who dedicate ourselves to science do. social communication and science in some way we seek ”, he added.
The rector emphasized that the researcher’s visit to Zaragoza demonstrates “that even then the level of science being done at this university was good enough to attract renowned scientists” and invited attendees to pay attention to the statue that presides over the steps of the Auditorium, by Santiago Ramón y Cajal.
For Mayoral, it was lucky that they met, since they are “two of the scientists whose findings more than a century ago continue to influence the development of technologies.”
In fact, as the representative of the scientific committee that has organized these outreach sessions, Fernando Bartolomé, has pointed out, to recall that “their work is still more alive than ever” they have turned to specialists from various parts of Spain “who continue to work on issues that opened Einstein internationally.