By the end of the year, the Ostpreußisches Landesmuseum in Lüneburg will permanently house what it claims is the world's largest collection dedicated to Immanuel Kant, including items from his household such as dishes, coins, a tuft of hair, and portraits. The new exhibition aims to spark curiosity about the philosopher, whose themes and questions remain relevant today.
The museum's new wing, designed as a five-story building with an inner courtyard, was constructed to accommodate the extensive collection. The total construction costs for the new wing amounted to eight million euros. Of these costs, the federal government contributed 5.7 million euros, while the state of Lower Saxony provided 2.3 million euros. The museum is institutionally funded by the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony.
The construction of the museum extension in the Lüneburg old town was not completed by April of last year, which marked the 300th birthday of Immanuel Kant. Delays were caused by increased construction costs and setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war. To prevent further cost escalations, the area of the permanent exhibition was reduced from 700 square meters to 640 square meters.
"This is a gift for Lüneburg; it will bring culture here free of charge," said Joachim Mähnert, the museum director, according to Die Zeit. The oldest object in the collection is a champagne glass purchased from private ownership. Immanuel Kant used the champagne glass to toast with friends to the end of the war in 1763.
The museum in Lüneburg acquired a large collection from Duisburg in 2016, which includes objects related to Immanuel Kant. Philosopher Tim Kunze was hired as the curator of the exhibition. "Kant's texts are not easy to read; they are complicated in sentence structure and demanding in content; nevertheless, he is the most important philosopher of modernity," a historian involved in the project said, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The exhibition aims to simplify the topic so that not only scholars will visit. "He is an advocate of democracy, and his political concept forbids attacking another country," Mähnert stated, according to n-tv. He added, "He was never married, had no children or heirs."
During the excavation of the construction pit for the new wing, archaeological finds were uncovered, indicating that the settlement of Lüneburg around the monastery and saltworks did not begin in the 13th century as previously thought. "They were mistaken by a hundred years," explained Mähnert.
After World War II, East Prussia was divided between the former Soviet Union and Poland. Up to 14 million refugees and displaced persons came in 1945 from the German eastern territories and other regions in Eastern Europe. After the war, many displaced persons settled in Lüneburg, causing the population to grow by more than half.
The Ostpreußisches Landesmuseum, opened in 1987 on the site of an old brewery, deals with the history, culture, and landscape of the former German eastern territories. The museum claims to be the only museum in the world that comprehensively dedicates itself to the entire region and is supported by the Ostpreußische Kulturstiftung (East Prussian Cultural Foundation).
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.