Name: In the Beginning Was the Belt - Brunswick Ethnographica, Souvenirs & Colonial Trophies
Start: 2026-06-27T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-12-30T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Städtisches Museum Braunschweig

A museum critically examines colonial objects and their stories

With In the Beginning Was the Belt - Brunswick Ethnographica, Souvenirs & Colonial Trophies, the Municipal Museum of Brunswick opens a space for studying works, provenance research, and cultural self-examination. The exhibition places objects from colonial contexts in the spotlight and connects historical collection history with the question of how museums can take responsibility today.

Colonial Provenances in Focus

At the center is the cartridge belt of OvaMbanderu leader Kahimemua, whose journey to Brunswick exemplifies the violent history of colonial appropriation. The museum thereby points to collection holdings from colonial contexts and the necessary transparency regarding their origins and acquisitions. Here, the power of an exhibition is demonstrated, which not only shows but explains, organizes, and critically contextualizes.

Ethnographica, Souvenirs, and Trophies as Historical Testimonies

The presentation reads ethnographic objects not as silent things, but as testimonies of political power relations, global interconnections, and museum ordering systems. Between souvenirs, collected objects, and colonial trophies, a multilayered exhibition atmosphere unfolds, raising questions about collection ethics, culture of remembrance, and museum responsibility. For art and culture enthusiasts, this results in an intense artistic experience with high educational value.

The Municipal Museum of Brunswick as a Place of Contextualization

The Municipal Museum of Brunswick is one of the significant municipal museums and preserves extensive collections on the art and cultural history of Brunswick. The exhibition location itself adds additional depth to the topic: here, city history, ethnological collections, and contemporary museum work come together. Visitors to the museum's houses experience not only exhibits but also curation as a public task.

Why a Visit is Worth It

This exhibition invites you to look closely: What stories do objects tell when their origins are taken seriously? How does the perspective on museum collections change when colonial violence is not overlooked? In the Beginning Was the Belt offers a concentrated, educational, and aesthetically as well as intellectually stimulating exhibition experience that lingers long after.

Anyone interested in provenance research, colonial history, ethnography, and cultural-historical exhibition practices should definitely visit this show in person. It combines insight, reflection, and museum precision into a visit that energizes art and cultural history with current relevance.