The history of the Juliusruh ionospheric observatory on Rügen is closely connected to the history of ground-based ionospheric sounding. After a short introduction to the ionospheric research and the sounding technique, the founding of the Juliusruh station in 1954 and its development until today are described. The different methods of ground-based sounding – as far as they apply to Juliusruh – are briefly discussed. The condition of life and work in a small team on the island of Rügen, remote from the respective parent institute, is also the subject of this article, whose author headed Juliusruh Station from 1965 to 2004.
