Bamberg is hosting an important exhibition in the autumn 2024 focusing on the daily life at the imperial court of Heinrich II and Kunigunde

On the occasion of the one-thousandth anniversary of the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich II, the city and diocese of Bamberg in Germany organises a series of events. One of the highlights of this program is the exhibition “1000 Years Ago” in the Bamberg Historical Museum. The special exhibition focuses not only on the emperor but also on his wife Kunigunde and the people around them.

With scenographic and digitised productions, guests are invited to immerse themselves in the everyday life of an imperial palace. How were the palace and the cathedral built, how were soldiers employed and trained, how were feasts organised, what was served at the imperial table and what possibilities and limitations did the women at court experience?

The exhibition highlights the imperial couple, Heinrich II (973–1024) and Kunigunde (975-1033), whose work had a fundamental impact on Bamberg. However, instead of focusing on the Emperor and his consort, their rule, military campaigns and the court will be seen from afar and as viewed by the general population. Who lived in Bamberg a thousand years ago and how did people live back then? What was eaten, which clothes were worn and how did people spend their day? Who went to war with the Emperor and how did a military campaign play out?

The exhibition aims to answer these and similar questions by employing a series of scenographic and digital devices inviting the visitors to sense and experience more than read about the lifeworld of the people in Bamberg a millennium ago. Numerous possibilities will be on offer to feel the texture of medieval textiles and garments or feel the weight of an armour of the time. By focusing on the daily life of ordinary people, the organisers and curators aim to present a more truthful and less romanticized picture of life in the High Middle Ages.

Beautiful Catalogue

Accompanying the exhibition is a catalogue presenting the objects and artefacts on show, witnessing the architectural and artistic effort invested in the Cathedral and City of Bamberg, Jewels and other elite, luxurious material culture, remains of the liturgical possessions of the Diocese, personal artefacts such as combs and needles, cookeries, weapons, (copies of the) royal insignia and other precious finds. The many objects are in-loans from museums in Germany.

Of course, some of the more precious objects are missing – the Ambo in the Cathedral in Aachen, which Heinrich commissioned and which was fitted with what was likely his personal crystal chess pieces, the famous golden antepedium and the much remade Heinrichs-Kreuz preserved in Basel; and not least, the so-called Fritzlarer Heinrichs-Kreuz, which was on show in Bamberg during the commemorations of the death of Heinrich in 1024. The Baseler Antepedium, though, is present in a copy, as are the royal insignia.

The exhibition is supported by the Bavarian Sparkasse Foundation, the Sparkasse Bamberg Foundation for Art, Culture and Monument Preservation, the Oberfrankenstiftung and the Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation.

 

VISIT:

Historical Museum Bamberg
Alte Hofhalte, Domplatz 7, 96049 Bamberg
25.10.2024 – 27.04.2025

The exhibition is accompanied by an exhibition at the  Staatsbibliothek Bamberg:
Leuchtende Wunderzeichen. Das Nachleben Kaiser Heinrichs II. in der Frühen Neuzeit
16.09.2024–14.12.2024

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