When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition runs from June 18, 2026, to December 30, 2026, at the Municipal Museum Braunschweig.

What are the opening hours?

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Does it cost to visit?

No, according to the event details, admission is free.

Where is the exhibition located?

At the Municipal Museum Braunschweig, Steintorwall 14, 38100 Braunschweig.

Is there an official Instagram channel?

Yes, the museum names the channel @staedtischesmuseumbraunschweig.

Is the exhibition suitable for culturally historically interested visitors?

Yes, it is specifically aimed at visitors who are interested in provenance research, colonial history, and museum responsibility.

Reinterpreting Colonial Objects, Origins, and Memory in the Braunschweig Museum

Name: In the Beginning Was the Belt - Braunschweig Ethnographica, Souvenirs & Colonial Trophies
Start: 2026-06-18T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-12-30T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Städtisches Museum Braunschweig

A glimpse at origins, memory, and colonial traces in the museum

The exhibition In the Beginning Was the Belt - Braunschweig Ethnographica, Souvenirs & Colonial Trophies opens up an intense access to collection holdings from colonial contexts at the Municipal Museum Braunschweig. The focus is on provenance research: What was collected, under what power relations did objects enter the museum, and what stories do they carry to this day?

Making colonial contexts visible

The exhibition puts a cartridge belt of the OvaMbanderu leader Kahimemua Nguvauva from the region of present-day Namibia in the spotlight. The museum points out that the piece was taken by German colonial rulers during the time of German South-West Africa. Herein lies the scientific and moral tension of the exhibition: It connects object history with historical responsibility and public transparency.

Ethnographica, souvenirs, and trophies as cultural testimonies

The exhibition title already indicates how differently objects in colonial collections have been and are read. Ethnographica, souvenirs, and trophies appear here not as harmless memorabilia but as testimonies of an asymmetric view of other cultures. Thus, the exhibition opens up an aesthetic and at the same time critical examination of museum objects and their historical framing.

Provenance research as cultural education

The Municipal Museum Braunschweig has been intensively engaged with holdings from colonial contexts for several years. The exhibition makes this research process public and thus presents an important example of cultural education in the museum. Visitors experience not only a collection but also the change in museum responsibility in the 21st century.

An artistic experience with historical depth

The exhibition atmosphere combines documentation, memory, and reflection. Those who engage with this presentation encounter not a pure object aesthetics but a multifaceted narrative about violence, possession, origin, and restitution. From this arises a sustainable artistic experience that extends beyond the museum visit.

Conclusion: This exhibition offers a rare, enlightening perspective on colonial collection practices and their consequences up to the present day. Those who wish to experience art, history, and provenance research together should definitely visit this exhibition live at the Municipal Museum Braunschweig.