Heinrich-Schliemann-Museum

The Heinrich-Schliemann-Museum in Ankershagen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, is a cultural institution dedicated to the life and work of Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890), the German businessman and amateur archaeologist who excavated Troy, Mycenae, and Tiryns. Housed in the former rectory where Schliemann spent his childhood from 1823 to 1831, the museum opened in 1980 and has since established itself as a center for international Schliemann research. In 2001 it was designated a Kultureller Gedächtnisort (cultural memory site) of national significance in the German federal government's Blaubuch.

The museum's origins trace to 1959, when a commemorative plaque was installed on the Schliemann family home. A citizens' initiative formed in 1977 to create a memorial, and the local church congregation provided rooms in the rectory, enabling a Gedenkstätte to open in 1980. Six years later this became a full museum. Wilfried Bölke, initiator and co-founder, served as first director. In 1987 the archive was established when Martin Karsten, a grandson of Schliemann's sister Louise, donated 71 original letters by Schliemann and family members. Further gifts and purchases expanded the holdings. Renovations concluded in 1998, when a new permanent exhibition opened. Reinhard Witte, an ancient historian and Mycenaean specialist, directed the museum from 2003 to 2017, gaining renown in international Schliemann scholarship. Since 2017 the director has been Undine Haase, a museologist and longtime staff member. Major modernization of the main building and a neighboring structure occurred from 2017, and on 8 June 2019 the museum reopened with a newly conceived permanent exhibition on expanded floor space, now including English-language panels.

The museum's collection and exhibition program span Schliemann's multifaceted career as pastor's son, merchant, multimillionaire, cosmopolitan, and archaeologist. The permanent exhibition occupies ten themed rooms covering his childhood, his years as a businessman in Russia and banker in America, and his archaeological discoveries of Mycenaean culture and the site of Troy. The archive holds Schliemann's original letters and copies of his eighteen excavation diaries. Through collaboration with the Gennadius Library in Athens on electronic archiving of Schliemann's written estate, more than 37,000 document copies were transferred to the museum. The Heinrich-Schliemann-Gesellschaft, founded in 1991 as the museum's supporting association, maintains a research library collecting works by and about Schliemann and archaeological literature on Greek antiquity. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions on the attic floor, addressing Schliemann-related topics and broader themes.

Highlights of the permanent exhibition include nearly 100 original finds from all excavation layers at Troy, along with excellent reproductions of Schliemann's gold discoveries. Particularly notable are the large diadem from the Treasure of Priam from Troy and the so-called Mask of Agamemnon from the shaft graves at Mycenae. Some archaeological finds from Troy are on permanent loan from the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Berlin, alongside reproduced portions of Priam's Treasure. The original letters in the archive include correspondence by Schliemann, his father Ernst, his wives Ekaterina and Sophia, and his children Sergej and Andromache. The museum's research significance was further recognized when the museum was included in the Blaubuch as a site of national importance and international reach.

The museum building is the former rectory of Ankershagen, an 18th-century structure where the Schliemann family lived from 1823 until 1831, when Heinrich moved to his uncle's home following his mother's death. The original complex comprised the rectory (now the museum), a stable building, the preacher's widow's house, and a barn. Behind these structures lies the former rectory garden, a spacious park containing the legendary Silberschälchen. The adjacent 13th-century fieldstone church contains medieval frescoes and the grave monument of Schliemann's mother. On the museum grounds, a six-meter-high, ten-meter-long wooden Trojan Horse sculpture with a slide has stood since 1996; it was rebuilt in 2019 and has become a regional landmark. An archaeological playground for children and, since 2024, a large wooden bireme ship and wooden warrior figure in the park expand the outdoor offerings. The former barn now houses event spaces and a small museum bistro.

The Heinrich-Schliemann-Museum is located in Ankershagen, within the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is accessible via its website at www.schliemann-museum.de. The museum serves as the starting point for the hiking trail Auf Schliemanns Spuren, which leads to the nearby Havel spring. The institution functions as both a public museum and a research center, offering educational elements including a museum path, knowledge stations, and Schliemann's former children's room in the attic to engage younger visitors. The museum celebrated Schliemann's 200th birthday in 2022 with a festival year of events, colloquia, projects, and exhibitions in cooperation with various partners, reflecting its ongoing role in commemorating and critically examining Schliemann's complex legacy.