Even today, many cultural assets and human remains that came to Germany from former German colonies and other colonial contexts are still held in museums.
As a contribution to the international and national discussions on how to deal with colonial heritage in museums and collections, the federal government and the states established a working group on this topic on October 12, 2018, with the involvement of municipal umbrella organizations.
At the 10th Cultural Policy Summit (March 13, 2019), the federal government, states, and municipal umbrella organizations adopted the “Initial Key Points on Handling Collection Items from Colonial Contexts.” In these, they committed to identifying cultural assets that were acquired in legally and/or ethically unacceptable ways and to enabling their return.
At the 23rd Cultural Policy Summit (October 14, 2025), building on this, “Joint Guidelines on Handling Cultural Assets and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts” were adopted. The federal government, states, and municipalities agreed on concrete recommendations to further facilitate the return of cultural assets and human remains from colonial contexts held in public museums and collections. Among other measures, the creation of a state-mandated body composed of federal, state, and municipal representatives is planned. This body will serve as a central contact point for the governments and institutions of countries of origin, as well as an interdisciplinary and international network of experts to provide professional advice to museums, collections, and their sponsors (Press release of October 14, 2025).
In October 2019, the federal government, states, and municipal umbrella organizations also decided to establish a central contact point. Located at the Cultural Foundation of the German States (KSL), the “Contact Point for Cultural Assets and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts in Germany” began its work on August 1, 2020. It serves as a central point of contact for all parties involved and facilitates dialogue with the societies of origin.
