Detail page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Four projects run by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation are receiving funding under the new ‘Preserving Written Cultural Heritage’ grant programme run by the Co-ordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK). This will enable the preservation of unique records from the Kingdom of Westphalia, previously secret documents belonging to a prominent North Indian musical family, historical photographs of the International Congress of Archaeology and Anthropology in Sarajevo, and an extensive collection of historical theatre programmes. The projects demonstrate the diversity of written cultural heritage held by the institutions of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the varying requirements for its preservation.

Marion Ackermann, President of the SPK, emphasises: “The collections, archives and libraries of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation preserve unique originals that form part of our cultural memory. Preserving them whilst making them accessible to researchers and the public is one of our most important tasks. The establishment of the KEK just over ten years ago was a great boon for all institutions involved in the preservation of cultural heritage in Germany.”

At theSecret State Archive of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the ‘V. HA Kingdom of Westphalia’ collection is being preserved through conservation work. These unique handwritten documents from the early 19th century are key sources on the Kingdom of Westphalia, which existed from 1807 to 1813. The cleaning and repackaging of the files ensures their long-term preservation and lays the foundation for more in-depth cataloguing and subsequent digitisation. 

At theEthnological Museum / Museum of Asian Art, the ‘Dagar Diaries’ are being restored. These manuscripts from one of North India’s most prominent musical families contain valuable information on the Dhrupad tradition – one of the oldest genres of North Indian classical music – and on its previously secret vocal techniques and exercises. At the request of the last male teacher of the Dagar School, the records were donated to a public institution so that this previously secret family knowledge might be made accessible to the public. The records, which have scarcely been researched to date, promise new insights into the history of this musical tradition. 

The Museum of European Cultures holds a wooden box containing 25 photographs of the International Congress of Archaeology and Anthropology held in Sarajevo in 1894. The photographs document excursions undertaken by the congress participants – including Rudolf Virchow – as well as encounters with the local population. The collection is regarded as an early example of scientifically motivated photography in an ethnographic context. As part of the project, the photographs and their case are being conserved to ensure their long-term preservation for research, exhibition and digital dissemination.

The Berlin State Library is restoring its collection of historical theatre programmes, one of the most important sources for the history of theatre, music and performance. The collection comprises more than 200,000 theatre programmes dating from the late 18th to the early 20th century. As part of this three-year project, particularly vulnerable theatre programmes are being restored and repackaged. This will lay the groundwork for cataloguing and digitising the collection in future, and making it accessible to researchers once again.

Press photos

Press contacts for the individual projects: 

• Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation’s Secret State Archive: Ramon Voges,
  Ramon.Voges(at)gsta.spk-berlin(dot)de, Tel.: +49 30 266 44 00 43
• Ethnological Museum / Museum of Asian Art / Museum of European Cultures: Angela Fischel, presse.dah(at)smb.spk-berlin(dot)de, Tel.: 030 266 42 20 14
• Berlin State Library: Vincent Schmidt, vincent.schmidt(at)sbb.spk-berlin(dot)de,
  Tel.: +49 30 266 43 19 20