Symbolbild einer Trägerkarawane. Ein direkter Zusammenhang mit Kulturgutverlagerungen ist nicht belegt. — Symbolic image of a caravan of porters. No direct connection to the displacement of cultural property has been established, Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1984-041-09 / o. Ang.

Sources on the Displacement of Cultural Property in Colonial Context (1884–1918)

Jump to content

Introductory information

When the governing coalition 2018–21 announced its commitment to the „Aufarbeitung der Provenienzen von Kulturgut aus kolonialem Erbe“ (reappraisal of the provenance of cultural property from colonial heritage) (2018) and the federal, state, and local authorities negotiated an agreement in the „Ersten Eckpunkten zum Umgang mit Sammlungsgut aus kolonialen Kontexten“ (framework principles for the care of collections from colonial contexts) (2019) the political course was set for investigating the provenance of collected goods from colonial contexts. Based on this, “Gemeinsame Leitlinien zum Umgang mit Kulturgütern und menschlichen Überresten aus kolonialen Kontexten“ (Common guidelines for the care of collections and human remains from colonial contexts) were agreed upon in October 2025.

The archival holdings of the Federal Archives from the period of German colonialism contain important sources for postcolonial provenance research that can provide information on the origin of objects acquired under colonial conditions. Research into the colonial structures reflected in the authentic sources of the Federal Archives is particularly important in this context. Taken together, they help us better understand the history of displaced cultural property between 1884 and 1918.

The colonial holdings preserved in the Federal Archives generally reflect the perspectives of German colonial agents. Therefor a critical assessment of these sources is essential. We ask that you also take note of the Hinweise zur spezifischen Sprache kolonialer Quellen (information regarding the specific language used in colonial sources). .

Accessing information

Users can research documents from colonial times that are preserved in the Federal Archives by using the catalogue data provided in invenio, the Federal Archives’ search tool. The most important archival materials relating to colonial history have been digitised and are accessible via invenio (including a download function). Please also take note of the options for Digitalisation on demand.

Digitally available image material (mainly photos and posters) can be accessed in the Digital Picture Archive. Film material can be searched in the Digital Reading Room.

The original records from the colonial period are kept at various locations of the Federal Archives. Government civil documents, personal paper collections, and films are kept in Berlin-Lichterfelde. Military records and military-related personal paper collections are preserved in Freiburg. Personal paper collections and numerous photos are also found in Koblenz.

Access to and use of colonial records is subject to the provisions of the Federal Archives Act (BArchG).

Research strategies

As a general rule, the preserved records from the colonial period do not contain large file collections, list compilations, or card indexes relating to displaced cultural property. Specific research strategies are therefore advisable.

In the context of postcolonial provenance research, it is important to assess the acquisition contexts across different objects. This can be done by searching individual persons involved, scientific expeditions, so-called “punitive expeditions” and other violent undertakings, as well as geographical terms. This may lead to a list of or references to individual objects, for example in documents relating to the financing of expeditions.

A good place to start research is the geographical overview of colonial holdings in the Federal Archives, which assigns the available holdings to individual colonies.

Ein weißer und ein schwarzer Mann bei der Grenzvermessung der Süd- und Südostgrenze von Kamerun gegen das französische Kongogebiet

Geographical access to colonial history holdings

An overview of the holdings on German colonial history, organised according to the German colonies and ‘protectorates’ in Africa, the Pacific Ocean and China is available here.

Within a collection, structured or navigational searches in invenio may in some cases lead to relevant documents. Synonyms, terms or spellings typical of a particular period, and old or Germanised place names (such as Schutzgebiete (protectorates) instead of Kolonien (colonies), Jaunde instead of Yaoundé, Klein Popo instead of Anecho or Aneho) can also be considered as search terms. Entering personal names, place names or subject terms in the search box will often fail to deliver the desired results. It is therefore advisable to conduct a structured or navigational search in invenio. To do this, search the „Klassifikation“ (structure) of a collection (similar to the table of contents of a scientific paper) for overarching topics related to your search topic, such as „Forschungsreisende in Togo“ (explorers in Togo) or “Aufstände in Deutsch Neuguinea“ (uprisings in German New Guinea). Reviewing the files that appear there may lead to relevant results.

Please note that there is generally less documentation available for regions that were only briefly under German colonial rule. (The rule of thumb is: the further inland, the shorter the period of German rule, e.g., Rwanda). In addition, the records contain gaps, particularly due to events related to World War I and II (for example, the destruction of most of the “Schutztruppen” (colonial troops) records).

Many documents relating to colonial history are written in an old German writing style (Kurrent or Fraktur). The „Kurrent-Schreibmaschine“/Kurrent typwriter can help you decipher these old texts.

Selection of relevant archival holdings

The sources from the German Empire (1871-1918) preserved in the Federal Archives contain a wealth of authentic sources on the German colonial period from 1884 onwards, which can be used for provenance research on cultural property from colonial contexts. These include the holdings of government agencies, in particular the Reichskolonialamt (Reich Colonial Office), as well as the holdings of non-governmental protagonists. Colonial records, however, do not generally contain large collections of documents with explicit reference to displaced or unlawfully seized cultural property. It is therefore necessary to conduct detailed research in each specific case.

One should not expect to find documents from missionary societies, private companies (trade, plantations), or museums in the Federal Archives, with the exception of correspondences between institution representatives and government agencies.

The following list of holdings is intended as an example and is not exhaustive. When conducting research in invenio, please consult the sometimes very detailed information on the respective holdings, which addresses the collection’s history and its main content focus.

The sources from government agencies preserved in the Federal Archives reflect official views in the contemporary context of that time. These are predominantly formal reports and correspondences, which tend to be clearer or more detailed than the preserved official publications.

R 1001 Reichskolonialamt (Reich Colonial Office)

The files of the Reich Colonial Office contain the records of the German Empire’s central authority in charge of administrating the colonies at that time. They are, therefore, a key source when researching the German colonial period. The Reich Colonial Office (similar to a colonial ministry) handled all colonial matters of political and overarching importance. The approximately 10,000 surviving files provide insight into political decisions, legal regulations, administrative structures, economic and transport infrastructures, relations with the local population, armed conflicts, research expeditions, missionary work, education, and more. Files on expeditions can be found under „Allgemeine Angelegenheiten“ (General Affairs) as well as in the “Klassifikationsgruppen” (structure units) for the individual colonies. The digitally available files assigned there may contain useful information for provenance research. In particular, the structure unit 4.4. “Expeditionen und Wissenschaft -> Wissenschaftliche Sachen”, contains file series on all kinds of different “Scientific Collections”, organised according to the individual colonies.

In the reading room in Berlin-Lichterfelde, all the documents in the Reich Colonial Office record group can be searched in full text using AI-supported handwriting recognition. The search application for the R 1001 holdings should be used as a supplementary research tool; it does not replace a structured search or the assessment of search results in a structured context.

RM 3 Reichsmarineamt (Reich Navy Office)

The Federal Archives keeps naval records and other military documents from the colonial era. The RM 3 holding contains in the “„Klassifikationsgruppe“” 1.3.6.2 – „Schutzgebiete“ (Protectorates) several hundred digitally available files on various German colonies, especially Kiautschou (the area was under the jurisdiction of the Reich Navy Office, not the Reich Colonial Office). Of particular note are the „Militärpolitischen Berichte“ (military policy reports) of individual ships (RM 3/3015-3042), which focus especially on the German colonies.

Holdings of the governments of the individual colonies

The files produced in the colonies by the individual governments are generally held in the national archives of Togo, Cameroon, Namibia, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. The Federal Archives has microforms or digital copies of some of this records (accessible via invenio -> Norddeutscher Bund und Deutsches Reich -> Auswärtiges, Kolonial- und Besatzungsverwaltung -> Kolonialverwaltung). One example is the “Klassifikationsgruppe” “„Feldzüge, Expeditionen zur Unterdrückung bzw. Niederwerfung von Aufständen bis 1910“ (Campaigns, expeditions to suppress or quell uprisings until 1910) in the R 151 holdings of the “Kaiserliches Gouvernement in Deutsch-Südwestafrika“ (Imperial Government in German South West Africa).

Historical sources from non-governmental agents include the documents of colonial associations and private documents, in particular over one hundred “personal paper collections” of relevant agents from politics and the military. When studying these sources, please note that the documents generally reflect personal views and should therefore be viewed and assessed critically.

R 8023 Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft (German Colonial Society)

As part of the “promotion of colonial ideas” in Germany, social and research trips were taken to the colonies. Relevant files can be found in the “Klassifikationsgruppen” 8 “Expeditionen und Forschungsreisen“ (Expeditions and Research Trips) and 11 “Forschung und Wissenschaft“ (Research and Science).

R 8133 Neu-Guinea-Compagnie (New Guinea Company)

This privately organised trading company exercised sovereignty over German New Guinea on behalf of the German Empire for several years, also with a view to acquiring scientific collections.

N 103 Lettow-Vorbeck, Paul von

Diary entries by relevant figures can provide useful information regarding acquisition contexts.

MSG 2Subject-specific and biographical collection on German military history 1849-1945

This collection contains private documents of various origin that nay provide useful information in travel reports, diaries, and personal correspondence.

The relevant photos and maps from the German colonial administration preserved in the Federal Archives can contribute in a vivid way to a general understanding of colonial structures as well as background information on the displacement of cultural property.

R 1001 KART Reich Colonial Office map collection
Bild 105 Walther Dobbertin personal paper collections

Further information

Quellen zur Kolonialgeschichte (Sources on colonial history)
A comprehensive overview of the records on German colonial history in the Federal Archives
„Die Sache ist unhaltbar“ The situation is untenable
In its “In Focus” series, the Federal Archives presents and explains documents relating to resistance movements in three former German colonies: German South West Africa (now Namibia), Ponape (island group in the Pacific), and Cameroon.
Archivführer Deutsche Kolonialgeschichte (Archives Guides to German Colonial History)
A comprehensive archives guide to sources on colonial history
Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste (German Lost Art Foundation)
A selection of links to various research options and additional information regarding research on displaced cultural property in colonial contexts
Eva Künkler "Koloniale Gewalt und der Raub kultureller Objekte und menschlicher Überreste. Eine systematische Übersicht zu Militärgewalt und sogenannten Strafexpeditionen in deutschen Kolonialgebieten in Afrika (1884–1919)". Working Paper 2/2022 from the German Lost Art Foundation.
Eva Künkler "Koloniale Gewalt in Deutsch-Neuguinea und der Raub kultureller Objekte und menschlicher Überreste: Eine systematische Übersicht zu Militärgewalt und sogenannten Strafexpeditionen in deutschen Kolonialgebieten in Ozeanien (1884–1914)“. Working Paper 4/2022 from the German Lost Art Foundation.

Sources on the Displacement of Cultural Property in Colonial Context (1884–1918)

Introductory information

Accessing information

Research strategies

Geographical access to colonial history holdings

Selection of relevant archival holdings

R 1001 Reichskolonialamt (Reich Colonial Office)

RM 3 Reichsmarineamt (Reich Navy Office)

Holdings of the governments of the individual colonies

R 8023 Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft (German Colonial Society)

R 8133 Neu-Guinea-Compagnie (New Guinea Company)

N 103 Lettow-Vorbeck, Paul von

MSG 2Subject-specific and biographical collection on German military history 1849-1945

R 1001 KART Reich Colonial Office map collection

Bild 105 Walther Dobbertin personal paper collections

Further information

Introductory information

Accessing information

Research strategies

Geographical access to colonial history holdings

Selection of relevant archival holdings

Records of government agencies

Holdings of non-governmental agents

Photos and maps

Further information