Acquisition history of the Berlin Troy Collection - Heinrich Schliemann's files are conserved - Funded by the Coordination Centre for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK)
Press release from 07/28/2021
The Museum of Prehistory and Early History of the National Museums in Berlin will be conserving the files of the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890). The documents on the complex acquisition history of the famous Troy collection will thus be secured for the long term. The project is being funded by the Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK) as part of this year's funding programme for model projects. The files will then be made available again for research and exhibition purposes. The Museum of Prehistory and Early History is preparing a major special exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of Heinrich Schliemann's birth on 6 January 2022.
As part of the project, the acquisition files for Heinrich Schliemann's collection of Trojan artefacts are to be conserved and thus preserved in the long term. The files from the years 1871 to 1939 consist almost exclusively of unique handwritten documents and relate to the acquisition history of the Troy collection of the Berlin Museum of Prehistory and Early History. The seven volumes of files contain a total of around 2,700 sheets of Heinrich Schliemann's correspondence with the directors and employees of the Royal Museums, as well as numerous letters from well-known personalities such as Otto von Bismarck, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and the physician and prehistorian Rudolf Virchow.
The file collection focuses on one of the most extensive and historically interesting collections of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin. It documents the history of the Schliemann Collection over a period of almost 70 years. The collection and file documentation are to be seen as a unit. The complete preservation of this written record, even during the years of war and division, is a particular stroke of luck. The written records with their historical, cultural-historical and legal references are of particular importance for research and against the background of the relocation of parts of the collection due to the war.
The seven file fascicles have never been conserved since their creation. Due to frequent use, they show clear substantial damage. Conservation of the files is necessary to prevent further loss of substance and to ensure the long-term usability of the files.
This year, the Coordination Centre for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK) is funding 35 model projects for the preservation of original documents in archives and libraries. The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the Cultural Foundation of the Federal States (KSL) are jointly providing around 480,000 euros for this purpose. Funding is provided for pilot projects for the targeted processing of outstanding individual items or segments of the collection, for emergency preparedness and measures to build up expertise.
To mark its 10th anniversary, the CEC is organising an international conference this year. It will take place on 23 and 24 November 2021 in the auditorium of the James-Simon-Galerie on Museum Island Berlin under the title "Original Preservation in Perspective".
Press photos for download at:
www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/newsroom/presse/pressebilder/