Ivory in Tempelhof

Traces of Colonial Exploitation in Franckepark

On the grounds of what is now Francke Park, the merchant Theodor Francke operated an ivory bleaching facility in the 19th century. Imported ivory from colonial trade networks was bleached here and processed into items such as piano keyboards. Francke GmbH was also involved in the trade of looted art, such as the Benin Bronzes. The exhibition brings to light these previously overlooked traces of colonial exploitation in Tempelhof and invites visitors to take a critical look at Berlin’s colonial history.

Translated with DeepL

Runtime: Fri, 12/06/2026 to Sun, 03/01/2027

Takes place here:

• Tempelhof Museum