2009 - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

The Owl Mask (daxdaxalul, U’mista,
Alert Bay) will be on view in the exhibition
“The Great Potlatch”
the Early Modern period. The court gift-giving culture at
that time was part of established princely and court ceremonial,
which means that it was an element of a highly
differentiated and strict code of conduct that regulated
relations between the upper classes, the court aristocracy
and the court officials, and the bourgeois and other lowerranking
subjects. The code of conduct in a late feudal state
also determined the giving of gifts. Persons of equal rank
demonstrated their equality, while those of higher rank
signalled their superiority and graciousness. Equality and
difference were expressed in the type, originality and
value of the respective gift. Giving and taking were expressions
of mutual respect.
The exchange of the two exhibitions conveys the message
that, in accordance with the self-image of the First Nations,
the cultures are able to meet as equals and the culture of
the First Nations is fully acknowledged.
via regia — 800 Jahre Bewegung und Begegnung
(via regia – 800 Years of Movement and Mobility)
Third Saxon State Exhibition
Görlitz, Kaisertrutz: 21 st May – 31 st October 2011
The exhibition “via regia – 800 Jahre Bewegung und Begegnung”
(via regia – 800 Years of Movement and Mobility)
will be taking place in the Kaisertrutz, a 15th-century
bastion, in Görlitz. It is hoped that the entire city and the
region of Upper Lusatia/Lower Silesia will be involved in
the theme of the via regia and will become a sought-after
destination for visitors from all over Europe.
For many centuries the via regia was one of the most important
trade routes in Europe. Its historical importance
was particularly great along the section extending be-
The Kaisertrutz in Görlitz
tween Leipzig and Breslau (now Wroclaw), especially between
the time of its first mention in a document as “Hohe
Straße“ (High Road) in 1252 and the early 19th century,
when the railway age began. Major towns, trading places
and churches were established along the course of the via
regia, some of which still testify to the former importance
of the old trade route. Görlitz is among the towns which
owe their foundation and development into a rich trading
centre to the existence of the via regia.
Under the motto “800 Years of Movement and Mobility”,
this cultural history exhibition will consider life alongside
and on the via regia. It will examine trade in goods and the
exchange of art and culture between different territories.
It will show art and cultural treasures from a historically
significant region, for the via regia was one of the most
important economic and cultural arterial routes in Europe.
In five thematic sections – Aufbruch (Beginnings),
Fundament (Foundations), Markt (Markets), Mensch
(People) and Austausch (Exchange) – individual stories will
be brought to life by means of top-quality exhibits and
multimedia installations.
In addition to the main exhibition in the Kaisertrutz, the
Kulturhistorisches Museum Görlitz, the Schlesisches Museum
zu Görlitz and the Senckenberg Museum für
Naturkunde Görlitz will be making their own contributions
to the State Exhibition in the form of short-term special
exhibitions.
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