Lectures by Dr Sylvia Müller-Pfeifruck and Renate Samariter

Until the 19th century, crowns decorated with ribbons and flowers were used in churches to commemorate people who had died young. The death crowns are evidence of artistic mourning and a forgotten culture of remembrance. They were regarded as a substitute for a Christian wedding and the associated coronation. Funerary crowns have also been found as grave goods during archaeological excavations.

In its permanent historical exhibition, the Pomeranian State Museum displays a faithful copy of a funeral crown from the Morgenitz church on Usedom dating from 1797. Before the new chapel for the Gallery of Romanticism was built, excavations were carried out in the area of the former church of the Franciscan monastery. Remains of funeral crowns were also found among the burials.

Building and art historian Dr Sylvia Müller-Pfeifruck has been researching the history and publicising the custom of funeral crowns for decades. She provides an insight into the culture of funeral crowns worldwide with a focus on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

As an archaeologist, Renate Samariter led the excavations at the Pomeranian State Museum in 2019. Together with excavation workers, she secured the finds and classified them in terms of cultural history. Eight funeral crowns for deceased children were identified.

In collaboration with the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Pommerschen Landesmuseums and the Gesellschaft für pommersche Geschichte, Altertumskunde und Kunst.

Admission: € 3.50