Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 14: »Volkstum« und »Heimat« | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 14: Volkstum and Heimat

Case in point: The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg With their deliberate emphasis on Volkstum – literally ‘folk-dom’, that which is characteristic of the German people – and tradition, Hamburg’s museums sought to convey a nationalist ideology during the Nazi era. The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G) [Museum of Arts and Crafts] removed modern works from its exhibitions and further expanded its existing focus on homeland and craftsmanship. The department for folk art placed particular emphasis on the Northern German cultural sphere. From 1934 to 1937, Wilhelm Freiherr von Kleinschmit, the head of the Office of Folk-dom, Church, and Art, also held the position of museum director. More and more, the museum began to show exhibitions that were put together by state authorities for the purposes of ‘public education’, such as German Fruit from Foreign Seeds and an exhibition of works by members of the Hitler Youth.