{"id":380,"date":"2016-07-05T16:07:05","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T14:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dhm.web11.server10.lombego.de\/?p=380"},"modified":"2016-12-12T09:51:12","modified_gmt":"2016-12-12T08:51:12","slug":"my-project-koeniggraetz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/2016\/07\/05\/my-project-koeniggraetz\/","title":{"rendered":"My project: K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LAUREL WREATHS FOR THE KING<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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Our assistant curator Charlotte R\u00f6ttger tells us about her first exhibition: the Focus K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz special presentation within the permanent exhibition of Deutsches Historisches Museum.
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\nOur research assistant curators working with the collections of Deutsches Historisches Museum, Charlotte R\u00f6ttger, Christopher J\u00fctte and Marcel Kellner, are relieved: the Focus K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz<\/a> special presentation on the upper floor of the permanent exhibition<\/a> is ready on time. Working together as a team, the three young assistant curators developed and implemented their first exhibition \u2013 a huge responsibility. 3 July is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz, which saw the Prussian military face the armies of Austria and Saxony. Nowadays, hardly anyone is still aware that this battle decided Germany\u2019s future. Prussia\u2019s victory established Prussian hegemony in the German states and paved the way for the founding of the German Reich under Kaiser Wilhelm I.<\/p>\n

INTENSIVE RESEARCH, UNIQUE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE<\/h2>\n

Following roughly one-and-a-half years of research training, R\u00f6ttger, Kellner and J\u00fctte have gained an excellent insight into the collection<\/a> of Deutsches Historisches Museum. In just four months, they managed to select the exhibits for the presentation, some of which had previously never been displayed.<\/p>\n

\u2018It wasn\u2019t easy for us to select individual exhibits representative of the event from the vast array of objects to choose from. After all, the collections of Deutsches Historisches Museum encompass almost one million pieces. For us, it was important to not only chart the course of the battle, but also the reactions of the population. With this in mind, we found a letter sent by field post and a diary,\u2019 explains Art History graduate Charlotte R\u00f6ttger, describing her research work in the collection depots.<\/p>\n

It was clear to her that Georg Bleibtreu\u2019s impressive painting, Battle of K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz on 3 July 1866, which is one of the most famous works connected with the event, should be at the heart of the exhibition. In addition, the young researchers are particularly proud of two further pieces: laurel wreaths in gold and silver.<\/p>\n

PUBLIC VICTORY CELEBRATIONS AND GIFTS FOR THE KING<\/h2>\n

People\u2019s representatives donated the laurel wreaths to show their gratitude to the king. Although it cannot be conclusively proven that the golden laurel wreath was handed over, the time and circumstances of the handover of the silver laurel wreath are documented in detail. Berlin, 21 September 1866: on the second day of the public victory celebrations for the Battle of K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz, groups representing tradesmen such as masons and carpenters started lining both sides of Unter den Linden to hail Wilhelm I.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by his retinue, the Kaiser rode on his battle steed beneath the lime trees and through the Brandenburg Gate, cheered on by the spectators. When he reached the fisherman\u2019s guild, he stopped and, as later reported in the newspapers, \u2018was greeted by three maidens dressed in white, the daughters of master fishermen. Miss Johanna Bild addressed a few kind words to the king, whilst Miss Bertha Bruckhoff handed him a solid silver laurel wreath and Miss Pauline Bild handed the crown prince a green laurel wreath.\u2019*<\/p>\n

He then proceeded to ride to the royal palace. Assistant curator Charlotte R\u00f6ttger: \u2018As we can hardly imagine anything similar in this day and age, we decided to include these two wreaths as contemporary evidence. They also symbolise the Prussian hegemony won at K\u00f6niggr\u00e4tz and the ensuing establishment of the German Reich under Prussian leadership.\u2019<\/p>\n

Anyone who wishes to see the wreaths for themselves has until 31 December 2016 to do so. At the end of the special presentation, they will be returned to Hohenzollern Castle in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg on permanent loan from Deutsches Historisches Museum. Following their two-year traineeship, Charlotte R\u00f6ttger, Christopher J\u00fctte and Marcel Kellner are aiming to do a doctorate, which \u2013 just like a research training \u2013 is more or less an essential requirement for anyone who wishes to land one of the coveted research posts available in museums.<\/p>\n

* Neue M\u00fcnchener Rundschau: (mouthpiece of the \u2018Verein zur Hebung des Credits\u2019). 17 October 1866, page 18<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n