Fonds Best. 614 - Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

I. Introduction1) On the history of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-MuseumWilhelm Joest was born in Cologne on 15 March 1852 as the son of the merchant Eduard Joest. After studying natural sciences in Bonn, Heidelberg and Berlin, he travelled to Africa, America and the South Seas. When he died on 25.11.1897 on the island of Ureparapara in the South Seas, he left behind an ethnographic collection comprising about 3,400 list numbers. This collection, which formed the basis of the museum, was accepted by the City Council on 16 February 1899 as a gift from the married couple Eugen Rautenstrauch and Adele Rautenstrauch at Joest, - she was Wilhelm Joest's sister - for the Natural History Museum. After the death of Eugen Rautenstrauch on 18.5.1900, Adele Rautenstrauch donated 250,000 Marks to the City of Cologne for the construction of a museum and another 25,000 Marks for the appointment of a museum director. The city council adopted these foundations on 9.8.1900. After the death of Adele Rautenstrauch on 30.12.1903, her heirs increased the building capital for the museum by 180,000 Marks. This donation was subject to the condition that the respective head of the Rautenstrauch family or, in his absence, another member of the Rautenstrauch family to be presented to the city by the family should have a seat and vote in the municipal commission of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum. The city council assembly accepted this foundation on 13.5.1904. Joest's collections found their first accommodation in the Bayenturm in 1901. The office was located in a neighbouring harbour building. Later, parts of the collections, which had increased considerably in the meantime due to other donations, as well as the office had to be moved to the old Quatermarktschule. The collections, however, gained such a size in the following years through further donations that the space was soon no longer sufficient here either. This is why the completion of the museum building in 1906, which was begun according to the designs of architect Edwin Crones in the spring of 1904, came just in time. The ceremonial inauguration took place on November 12 of the same year, 1918, when the English occupying forces settled in the building of the State United Mechanical Engineering School Cologne, Ubierring 48. As a result, the mechanical engineering school was relocated to the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum for a short time in 1919. A "quartering", which should last longer, took place by the opening of the Kammerspiele on 24.10.1948. The Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum survived the bombing raids during the Second World War quite lightly, because only the north wing and the rear wing had been destroyed by bomb hits. After provisional repairs after the end of the war (Kammerspiele), the final reconstruction of the destroyed parts began in the spring of 1963. The completion of the shell of the north wing took place in 1964. From 1965 onwards, the museum was closed due to the construction work both in the old building and on the new part until its ceremonial opening on the 7th of July.Since the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum was more dependent on private than public aid at the time of its foundation, the Verein zur Förderung des Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museums was founded on 17.5.1904 on the initiative of Adele Rautenstrauch's heirs. On 28.2.1951 the association was renamed "Gesellschaft für Völkerkunde" (Society for Ethnology). 1909 saw the first publication of its own series, the "Ethnologica", on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum. The respective director of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum acts as editor on behalf of the Association or the Society for Ethnology.2List of museum directors with terms of office - Willi Foy ( 27.11.1873, † 01.03.1929)01.10.1901 - 1925- Fritz Graebner ( 04.04.1877, † 13.07.1934)1925 - 1928- Julius Lips ( 08.09.1895, † 21.01.)1950)1928 - April 1933- Andreas Scheller 1933 - June 1940 ( 08.05.1894, † 25.3.1977 in Schwalmstadt-Ziegenhain)(provisional director (dismissed from the service of the City of Cologne on 31.12.1940)- Martin Heydrich ( 29.12.1889, † 08.02.1969)1. July 1940 - 1945- Friedrich Wilhelm Funke ( 21.06.1921)(director) 1945 - 1948- Martin Heydrich1948 - 31.12.1960- Willy Fröhlich ( 30.10.1906, † 04.09.1971)01.01.1961 - 04.09.1971- Axel Freiherr von Gagern01.12.1971 - 31.12.1978- Gisela Völger ( 28.04.1937)01.10.1979 - 27.04.20003 Sources and LiteratureContent 505, Museum Administration, No. 43Content 47 - 51, Art and Popular Education, No. 5, 53, 54, 56, 248, 250, 251, 252, 285, 286Willy Foy. Guide to the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum. (Museum für Völkerkunde der Stadt Cöln.) Köln, 1908.Verwaltungsberichte der Stadt Köln.4. Aktenübernahme und OrdnungverfahrenThe files of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum reached the archive under Accession 404 on 05.04.1976 with a three-page delivery list The delivery list describes only summarily the subject of the files packed in 11 cartons. After completion of the indexing work and the structuring in January 1984, 108 volumes of files were still found in the heating cellar of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum. This delivery came on 22.02.1984 in the Archivon it received no own Accessionsnummer, but was immediately registered and into the structure already provided worked in. The files date back to the period between 1901 and 1971, with the bulk of the archival material originating between 1950 and 1970. Martin Heydrich's hand-files had been mixed with the "General Correspondence". In July 1940 Heydrich was appointed full professor for the newly established chair of ethnology at the University of Cologne. He also took over the management of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum. These Handakten essentially refer to his activities as Ordinarius for Ethnology and as editor of the journal "Ethnologischer Anzeiger". The reference files were extracted from the "General Correspondence" and placed as a separate group at the end of the index under the number L.Under the "General Correspondence, Series" there is also correspondence relating to the purchase, exchange and donation of ethnographics and literature, as well as vice versa correspondence of general content in the purchase and exchange files. After the removal from the Leitz files and the removal of metal parts, the files were listed according to numerus currens. The filing within the correspondent series with museums, institutes and scientific societies was quite arbitrary. Within a volume, correspondence is filed under the location of the institute or society as well as under the name of the institute. 614 boxes comprise 37 boxes. 13 m; 655 files.

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