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Returning the valuable Benin bronzes: what is it about? | NDR.de – culture – art

As of: 07/01/2022 5:01 p.m

On Friday, representatives from Germany and Nigeria signed a declaration of intent to return the stolen Benin bronzes. What kind of objects are they? And what happens now?


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2 Min

by Juliane Bergman

Dealing with colonial art has been discussed for a long time. In concrete terms, this involves, among other things, valuable Benin bronzes. Now Germany and Nigeria are paving the way for a new way of dealing with the art treasures. This afternoon, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth signed a declaration of intent with their Nigerian counterparts to return the property.

Benin bronzes in the inventory of around 20 German museums

They are precious bronzes that can be found in around 20 German museums: around 1,100 of the pieces from the palace of what was then the Kingdom of Benin, which today belongs to Nigeria. For example, finely crafted sculptures from the 16th century and interesting historical objects such as hairpins or altarpieces.

Further information

Barbara Plankensteiner, director of the MARKK.  © Museum für Völkerkunde Hamburg Photo: Paul Schimweg

8 Min


Barbara Plankensteiner, director of the Hamburg Museum am Rothenbaum, speaks of an “outstanding moment”. 8 mins




Port of Hamburg: Former trading center for looted art

When museums all over Europe collected such treasures at the end of the 19th century, the fact that blood was stuck to many objects was not mentioned. Because the bronzes only came to Germany because British colonial troops invaded the then Kingdom of Benin in 1897 and plundered shrines and palaces. The port of Hamburg was then an important entry point for the transfer of Benin works to Germany and their distribution in continental Europe.

MARKK and other museums are preparing return

Today the most extensive collections are stored in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, in the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, in the Hamburger Museum am Rothenbaum (MARKK), in the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne and in the Ethnological Museum in Dresden/Leipzig. These five houses are already preparing to return the art objects.

Declaration of intent: Nigeria should decide on works of art

A declaration of intent was officially signed at the Federal Foreign Office on Friday. In the future, Nigeria will decide which objects should be returned and what – then on loan – can remain in museums in Germany and be shown further. Germany’s declaration on the return of the looted property is considered forward-looking, after all, many museums have long been reluctant to deal with works of art from the colonial past

Further information

Katja Lembke © picture alliance/dpa Foto: Christophe Gateau


Katja Lembke, Director of the Lower Saxony State Museum in Hanover, talks about whether returning looted art is always the right solution. more



Graphic - a red spiral at the center of which reads: Museum Detectives.  On the trail of stolen art in the north.  © NDR


Looted art is also part of the inventory of many museums in the north. Where do the objects come from? Where is the possession of victims? more




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NDR Info | culture | 07/01/2022 | 8:55 a.m


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