The house was built as a residence for biologist
Ernst Haeckel in 1882–1883, in an
Italianate style. Haeckel spent much of his career as a marine biologist, and published richly illustrated books presenting marine life forms in an artistic way, notably in
Kunstformen der Natur. The interior of his own house was also decorated with lamps and painted ceiling ornaments directly inspired by the forms of jellyfish; some of the decorations have survived. The decorations also gave the villa its name (jellyfish being the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the
subphylum Medusozoa). Haeckel's own drawing of a jellyfish found in the waters of
Sri Lanka served as a ceiling decoration in the dining room. The house was built in the vicinity of the newly erected zoological institute. Haeckel and his family lived in the villa until his death in 1919. Haeckel also used the house as his workplace. Haeckel, who died at the age of 85, had already during his lifetime regarded as a historically important biologist in Germany. The idea to preserve his own collections in a dedicated museum, as well as to preserve his archive for the future, was already formulated during his lifetime. Following his death, the Ernst-Haeckel-Haus was founded in 1920 to serve as an archive and a museum. It is one of the oldest institutes in Germany dedicated to the history of science, second only to the at
Leipzig University. Its first director was
Heinrich Schmidt, who after the Nazi
rise to power made a conscious effort to present Haeckel's legacy in a way which would appeal to
Nazi ideology. Similarly, his successor as director, , continued to portray Haeckel in a light favourable to Nazism. Following
World War II, the villa and its associated institution became tied to the University of Jena. In 1965, a Chair for the History of Science was established at the institute and its scope has successively been broadened from its original focus on the life and achievements of Ernst Haeckel. ==Current use==