February 2002 - Nr. 2
Germany and Russia to Reunite Collection of Art from Europe’s "Dark Ages"
TWIG - Germany and Russia are collaborating to temporarily reunite a renowned collection of early European art that was divided and scattered during World War II. The so-called Merovingian Treasure, a group of 5th- to 8th-century objects once housed in the Berlin Museum of Early History, is to become the subject of a major exhibition in St. Petersburg.
Many items in the collection were taken by Soviet soldiers as war booty and are now housed in the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum. The exhibition will bring these artworks together with objects from German museums for the first time since 1945.
"We will be covering the cultural history of a European area that stretched from Russia to northern France," says Klaus-Dieter Lehman, president of the Foundation for Prussian Cultural Property, which is overseeing the cooperative effort. The joint exhibit will also serve as an important political step, he added. State Minister for Cultural Affairs Julian Nida-Ruemelin was in Moscow this week to discuss plans for the exhibit and other steps toward cultural reconciliation between the two countries. The exhibit is scheduled to open in late 2003 or early 2004.
