From 1921 until the beginning of the Second World War, the Kunstgewerbemuseum’s (Museum of Applied Arts) collections were presented as the “Schlossmuseum” (Palace Museum) at the Stadtschloss (City Palace) in Berlin. Between 1933 and 1945, the museum acquired around 700 individual objects, in addition to the large accessions, for instance, the works obtained from the Dresdner Bank’s art holdings in 1935. The losses sustained by the Schlossmuseum during the war were immense, with its remaining inventory reduced to around 180 objects of study.

Founded in 1867 as the Deutsches Gewerbe-Museum zu Berlin, the museum was renamed the Kunstgewerbemuseum 12 years later and given its own building, today’s Martin-Gropius-Bau. After the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the museum moved to the Berlin Stadtschloss in 1921 and was combined with parts of the court’s furnishings that had remained there. Thereafter, it was presented to visitors as the Schlossmuseum. When the Second World War began, significant portions of the collection were moved to storage. The museum suffered considerable losses. In the post-war period, East Berlin’s depleted collection was shown at Schloss Köpenick from 1963 on. In the western part of the divided city, a permanent collection opened that same year at Schloss Charlottenburg. In 1985, that museum moved into the new building designed by Rolf Gutbrod at the Kulturforum, where it is still located. Schloss Köpenick has served as a branch since reunification.

The acquisition sources are as diverse as the objects purchased for the Kunstgewerbemuseum, which date from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and comprise a wide range of materials, including ceramics, porcelain, glass, goldsmithing, jewellery, textiles and furniture. Many of these items were gifts or purchases from private individuals. Unnecessary holdings were exchanged for desired items, and museum staff were sent to auctions to bid on pieces for the collections. The museum was also a customer on the open antiques market.

The historical museum holdings from the institution’s time as the Schlossmuseum are to be searched systematically for objects confiscated as a result of National Socialist persecution, particularly those originating from Jewish property, with any such items being restituted. A series of preliminary steps facilitated the start of this project, for instance, the finalised provenance research regarding acquisitions from the Dresdner Bank. An initial review of the Schlossmuseum’s holdings has already been conducted, clearly indicating the high priority of the research. Last but not least, this museum’s history, which is multifaceted in every respect, has been exceptionally well researched and publicised.

Institution: Zentralarchiv (Central Archive), Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Project management and research associate: Dr Hanna Strzoda
Museological assistance: Manuela Krüger (Kunstgewerbemuseum)
Duration: ongoing since 2025
Publication: Barbara Mundt, Museumsalltag vom Kaiserreich bis zur Demokratie. Chronik des Berliner Kunstgewerbemuseums. (Schriften zur Geschichte der Berliner Museen, vol. 5). Cologne, Weimar, Vienna, 2018