The Berlin Humboldt Forum is finished, opening the last exhibition spaces

photo: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, © SHF / GIULIANI | VON GIESE

Berlin - The Humboldt Forum, a new center of culture and art in the replica of Berlin's City Palace, is completed and will open its last previously inaccessible exhibition spaces to visitors over the weekend. The institution, which comprises the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, is simultaneously addressing Germany's colonial past and is focusing on collaboration with the countries of origin of the artifacts.

The emergence of the forum, whose construction began a decade ago, has been accompanied by a series of controversies. Discussions have been raised and continue to be sparked by, among other things, the design of the façade, which blends baroque and modern styles, the cross on the dome, the controversial origins of the artifacts, and the separation of non-European collections from European ones.

And precisely the origin of the objects has become a current topic before the opening of the remaining exhibition spaces, which the institution itself highlights. "We must dare to provide a new interpretation," said Hermann Parzinger at Thursday's ceremony. He is the head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), which includes the Ethnological Museum. In this context, he noted that while the Humboldt Forum is completed, it still stands at the very beginning.

"This house was born out of dialogue. Based on this foundation of mutual trust, we must continue to change and develop. Our will for openness and transparency, recognition of colonial injustices and subsequent restitutions, as well as various forms of cooperation will determine our path in the future," Parzinger said. "This also includes overcoming the still dominant Western perspectives and better understanding how people from different parts of the world live today," he added.

In his speech, Parzinger explicitly mentioned the recent agreement with Nigeria to return several hundred statuettes, reliefs, and other bronze artifacts that once belonged to the Benin Kingdom as vital. The British ravaged the royal palace in Benin, the capital of the then kingdom, in the late 19th century in southern present-day Nigeria. Part of the artifacts ended up in Germany, which has agreed to restitutions.

Some of the returned Beninese bronzes are also on display at the Humboldt Forum, but with the note that the artifact is not the property of the German museum, but a loan.

According to Parzinger, historical controversies are not a burden but an opportunity that opens up possibilities for cooperation with the countries of origin of the artifacts. A member of the Omaha tribe, the indigenous peoples of present-day United States, echoed his sentiment. During a debate at the Humboldt Forum, she declared that the exhibited ancestral items take her breath away. "White colonists considered us uncivilized barbarians and primitives. The exhibited artifacts clearly prove that we are none of that," she said.

Hartmut Dorgerloh, the head of the Humboldt Forum, emphasized that the institution is a meeting place for world cultures and that, in light of the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is all the more important for building better mutual relations. He considers thematic sections of the exhibition dedicated to the Omahans, the Naga ethnic group from India and Burma, Islam, and South American civilizations as symbols of cooperation with the countries of origin of the artifacts.

In the newly accessible parts of the eastern wing of the forum, 20,000 exhibits are displayed over 16,000 square meters.

The new spaces of the Humboldt Forum will be formally opened today with a ceremonial event; however, the public will only be able to visit them from Saturday. To that end, the institution has prepared a special program that will last 24 hours from Saturday noon until Sunday at 12:00. Curator Andrea Scholz stated that such an event is completely extraordinary and will not be repeated. As part of this program, the Forum will offer not only exhibitions but also music and dance performances, debates, and activities for children.

The replica of the palace, which was once the residence of Prussian kings and German emperors, has three baroque and one modern façade. The project required an investment of 677 million euros (16.6 billion crowns). A significant amount, specifically 105 million euros, was contributed by 45,000 donors.