1898 Deutsches Kolonialmuseum

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Peter H
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1898 Deutsches Kolonialmuseum

#1

Post by Peter H » 27 Mar 2006, 14:38

Has anyone any details on this Museum in Berlin?

https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/dsp ... thesis.pdf

Analysis of German cultural symbols of the African expansion begins with the
dissection of urban structures relating to colonialism. The most obvious example of this
colonial architecture is the 1898 Deutsches Kolonialmuseum. The museum was designed
to display the missionary work, trade, literature, history, culture and everyday life of the
German colonies. Particular focus was given to advertising colonial products designed
for the German domestic market. A clear indication of the propagandistic focus of the
museum was the layout, which included import and export rooms, life-size
representations of village life, Schutztruppe battle scenes, and an exhibition of missionary
activities. The contemporary inclination towards colonial exotica meant that the
museum soon became a popular destination for Germans of all classes.
Other important colonial-themed structures included the 1891 Berlin tropical
greenhouses, the 1903 Africa-Haus of the DKG and the 1911 Kolonialhaus. The
Kolonialhaus featured minarets, Ottoman domes, lions, elephants and African warriors on
its façade. The building featured a wealth of exotic products and technologies, combined
with overtly pro-interventionist colonial propaganda.

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Reichskolonialamt
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#2

Post by Reichskolonialamt » 27 Mar 2006, 15:55

Attachments
Kolonialmuseum im ehem Marinepanorama.jpg
Kolonialmuseum im ehem Marinepanorama.jpg (13.02 KiB) Viewed 1736 times


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Chris Dale
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#3

Post by Chris Dale » 29 Mar 2006, 02:40

I wish it was still there.
Does anyone know of any museums in Germany that have colonial itmes on display?
Cheers
Chris

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Peter H
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#4

Post by Peter H » 30 Mar 2006, 13:29

Thanks for the link Reichskolonialamt.

I assume it closed down after WW1 and something else took over the site.

Regards,
Peter

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#5

Post by beauregard61 » 30 Mar 2006, 14:24

I visited an exhibition named "Tsingtau. Ein Kapitel deutscher Kolonialgeschichte in China 1897-1914" in Emden back in 1998.
In the book about it the following museums are mentioned: Deutsches Historisches Musem, Berlin; Küsten-Museum Wilhelmshaven; Ostfriesisches Landesmuseum und Emdener Rüstkammer, Emden; Kieler Stadt- und Schiffahrtsmuseum.
These museums are not only responsible for the exhibiton, they own many of the items too but of course I don't know if they are on display...

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#6

Post by Chris Dale » 30 Mar 2006, 14:43

Hi Beauregard,
Thanks for the tips, I'll go and see if I can find anything on the web about those museums. I've already found photos of colonial items at the Deutsches Historisches Musem, Berlin on their website at http://www.dhm.de/ .
Cheers
Chris

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#7

Post by Reichskolonialamt » 30 Mar 2006, 23:11

Chris Dale wrote:Deutsches Historisches Musem, Berlin
They are changing..."updating" their exibition in Berlin. Also in the "Militärmuseum der Bundeswehr" in Dresden.

There are a lot of museums, which show ethnologica (Überseemuseum Bremen..), but I think your are looking for military items? There is a new museum at Rödelsee (Bavaria) about the german colonial history and another Africa-Museum , small and private, at Sebnitz (Saxony), where you could find interesting things too.

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#8

Post by Chris Dale » 31 Mar 2006, 03:08

Thanks very much for those museum tips, I can see I'll have to plan a holiday around Germany sometime. In the meantime has anybody beeen to any of the museums mentioned?
Cheers
Chris

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#9

Post by Reichskolonialamt » 31 Mar 2006, 08:34

I´ll visit Rödelsee/Frohstöckheim April, 30th and make some photos. The exact name is "Kolonialmuseum Linke".

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#10

Post by Chris Dale » 31 Mar 2006, 15:48

I hope you enjoy your visit, you already know I'd be very curious to see those photos....
Cheers
Chris

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#11

Post by Chris Dale » 17 May 2006, 23:58

I've added a page of those photos of the Colonial Museum at Rödelsee in Bavaria to the website at http://www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk . It's a great private museum including uniforms, photos and memorabilia mostly from German South West Africa. Thank you for sharing them, Reichskolonialamt.
Cheers
Chris

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