The exhibition will be on display in the reading room of the city archive until February 12!
Colonialism in Erlangen - a search for traces
On the eve of the First World War, Germany was the third largest colonial power in the world in terms of area. Nevertheless, it is only recently that more attention has been paid to this part of German history. Exploitation and violence, racism and contempt for humanity characterized the activities of many German colonial officials and military personnel. The "products" of colonial expansion, be it so-called colonial goods, "Völkerschauen" or simply racist prejudices and ideas of national self-aggrandizement, found their way to Germany. Against the backdrop of global historical events, the exhibition "Traces of Colonialism in Erlangen" focuses in particular on colonial references at a local level and shows how global politics also reached the Franconian province.
From October 20, 2025 to January 31, 2026, the Erlangen City Archive is showing a traveling exhibition that was created on the initiative of the City of Erlangen's Office for Equal Opportunities and Diversity, Anti-Discrimination and was specially designed for schools. It represents a first and incomplete attempt to illustrate Erlangen's colonial references. The exhibition texts and images are supplemented by a variety of original sources from the city archives. This extended search for traces is intended to make it clear that colonialism was not a distant project, but an everyday part of local life.
Opening on October 18, 2025
The occasion for the exhibition was the 10th anniversary of Black History Week, which was launched in 2015 thanks to the initiative of Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, a long-standing city councillor and member of the European Parliament. This made Erlangen one of very few cities to honor the UN Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) with its own series of events.
On October 18, 2025, Dr. Herzberger-Fofana will speak at the opening of the exhibition about the central aspects of the UN Decade for People of African Descent and highlight special moments of the Black History Weeks in Erlangen. The event begins at 19:00 in the reading room of the Erlangen City Archive, Luitpoldstr. 47, admission is free.
Diverse accompanying program
Accompanying events in the city archive will deal with the effects of colonialism up to the present day and encourage a discussion of post-colonial action and thinking.