Tuesday, May 27
New museums, old loot, and an uncertain future
Hermann Parzinger is stepping down as President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, or SPK) after 17 years in one of the most influential roles in Berlin’s cultural landscape.
During his tenure, Parzinger oversaw the €600 million Humboldt Forum project (Europe’s most expensive cultural development at the time of its completion), reformed the SPK’s governance, initiated the construction of the new “Berlin Modern” museum at the Kulturforum, facilitated the return of several looted artefacts, and, belatedly, permitted provenance research into the museums’ vast collections of human remains, enabling a number of repatriations.
The SPK oversees 21 museums, the Staatsbibliothek (state library), the state archives, and two research institutes in Berlin. It is the largest cultural association in Germany.
🎙️ Podcast: Dig Where You Stand – The stolen human remains in Berlin museums
Upon stepping down, Parzinger voiced concern about the future of cultural funding in the capital, telling rbb: “I fear that Berlin Modern will be the last completely new museum building of this size by the Foundation for a long time.” He also warned that unless restoration work begins soon on the Altes Museum, “it will collapse.”
The SPK’s political future remains uncertain. From December, members of the Bundestag will join its board, a change introduced under Parzinger’s reforms. Given the electoral rise of the far-right AfD, they are likely to be represented, albeit without voting rights. In recent years, political pressure has mounted against cultural initiatives perceived as too “woke,” raising concerns that the SPK’s efforts to address historical injustices – such as transferring ownership of the looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, or researching the origins of its human remains collections – could be challenged or defunded.
