Background
His father was John Wilhelm Eberhard Philippi and his mother Mary Anne Krumwiede.
His father was John Wilhelm Eberhard Philippi and his mother Mary Anne Krumwiede.
Their brother Federico Philippi studied natural sciences and languages.
Bernhard Philippi continued his education at the Technical College of Berlin between 1822 and 1830. He did nautical studies on a fellowship at the port of Danzig from 1831 to 1835. Philippi traveled to South America, where he settled in Chile in 1838, in Ancud.
From there he explored the south of the country.
Establishing relations with civil authorities, he encouraged the idea of German colonization in Chile. On August 27 of 1848 the Chile government appointed him as colonization agent and he went to Europe to recruit immigrants.
By 1852 Bernhard Philippi was appointed as governor of Magallanes Region.