Search - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Prussian Cultural Heritage The origins of the vast majority of the museum, library, and archival holdings that have been brought together within the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) long predate its founding. Their diversity and their continuing importance w

Your legacy for art and culture For many people, it is a personal concern to leave something lasting for the general public and future generations beyond their own lifetime. You can take this wish into account in your last will and testament by making a donation (bequest) or leaving a legacy in favo

Protection Against Illegal Excavations and Trafficking The Foundation works with international partners to help protect cultural property against crime. Antiquities, in particular, are seriously threatened by illegal excavations and trafficking. Aerial photo showing holes and pits dug in a looted ar

Issues of Ownership Over the course of history, objects have found their way into the Foundation’s holdings whose origins have not been completely clarified. The Foundation aims to establish who owns these objects. The National Socialist policy of persecution and the Second World War are the primary

Issue 1/2015: The Obliteration of World Heritage The new SPK magazine with reports from Syria and Iraq: Illegal excavations and trafficking threaten cultural heritage. This issue uncovers the workings of the looted antiquities business and asks what is expected of museums now. Issue no. 7 (2015), th

Research Research activities at the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz focus on its own collections and questions associated with them. They involve nearly all of the humanities but also the social and natural sciences. Collection-Related Basic Research as Distinctive Characteristic All institutions

Education All museums, libraries, and archives within the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz are engaged in continuous dialogue with academia, culture, and society. Their educational offerings are aimed both at a broad audience and specialists. The museums, libraries, archives, and research institut

Wartime Losses of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz The Second World War resulted in great losses to the Prussian collections. Much was destroyed. Many of the holdings that had been displaced for their protection did not return to the collections, for various reasons. The Second World War left

Museumsinsel Berlin, Historical Center, and Humboldt Forum The Museumsinsel and the original building of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin are located in Berlin’s historical center. In the future, the Foundation will present its museums’ non-European collections at the Humboldt Forum there as well. The

Provenance Research and Issues of Ownership The Foundation thoroughly investigates the provenance – that is, the origins – of the objects in its collections. This includes scholarly questions as well as clarifying questions of ownership. Questions of ownership can be clarified using the results of p