In the organizer's words:

He who writes, stays! In the late Middle Ages, letters were the most important medium for princesses to forge alliances, bridge disputes and exchange news.

In this way, women achieved greater political effectiveness in the past than the male-dominated images of history would have us believe. The letters provide us with surprising insights into the Europe-wide network of princely women, and this event focuses on the voices of Hohenzollern women such as Margarethe (1413-1465), who was involved in Bavarian politics, and Anna (1487-1514), who wrote from Schleswig to her brother in Berlin. It is still worth reading their letters today. They come across to us as independent and intelligent protagonists who skillfully dealt with the expectations of their families and the leeway of the era.

The actress Alina Vimbai Strähler will give these women a voice again after 500 years by reading their letters. Art historian Tanja Kohwagner-Nikolai and Alfred Hagemann, Head of the History of the Site Department at the Humboldt Forum Foundation, will explain the biographical background and temporal context.

The event is part of the WIRKSAM project, which focuses on Hohenzollern women in ten different museums in Germany.

Participants

Dr. Tanja Kohwagner-Nikolai studied art history in Munich, Augsburg and Erlangen and completed her doctorate in 2005 on the subject of medieval picture embroidery. She worked for over a decade at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities on the edition of medieval and early modern inscriptions. At the same time, she taught at the universities of Bamberg and Munich, investigated the Bamberg imperial vestments in a DFG project and headed a bavarikon project on this topic. She was a curator at the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth and has been a museum consultant at the Bavarian Palace Administration since 2023.

Alina Vimbai Strähler was born and grew up in Duisburg. She studied acting at the Zurich University of the Arts and New York University. She holds a scholarship from the Zürcher Theaterverein and had her first engagements at the Zürcher Schauspielhaus and Schauspiel Frankfurt during her studies. After graduating, she was permanently employed at Theater Konstanz, Luzerner Theater and Grips Theater. In 2018, she was invited to the Swiss Theatertreffen with the work White Out by Alexander Giesche. She has been a permanent member of the Schaubühne ensemble in Berlin since 2021.

Dr. Alfred Hagemann is head of the History of Place department at the Humboldt Forum Foundation. His research focuses on the architectural and cultural history of the Berlin court in the 18th century, historical women's studies and the state self-representation of the GDR. Over the past fifteen years, the art historian has curated a series of cultural-historical exhibitions on the history of Prussia and the GDR in Berlin and Potsdam.

- 8 EUR / reduced 4 EUR

- Please book your ticket in advance online or at the ticket office in the foyer.

- from 14 years

- German

- Room 3, ground floor

- Part of: ORTS date