Art and Naturalienkammer of the Francke Foundations

The Kunst- und Naturalienkammer stands in the Franckesche Stiftungen in Halle (Saale). Founded early in the 18th century by August Hermann Francke, it is Germany’s oldest surviving bourgeois museum room. Eighteen richly carved baroque cabinets hold about three thousand objects. The collection mixes natural specimens, curiosities and folk items. It was designed for teaching, not display, and visitors could tour it from the start. The cabinets follow Carl von Linné’s Systema Naturæ of 1735, grouping plants, animals and artefacts by kind. Gottfried August Gründler carved the cabinets between 1736 and 1741, adding painted crests that echo each cabinet’s contents. One cabinet shows the languages of the world, reflecting the Halle Pietists’ belief in the power of the written and spoken word. Another documents the Danish-Halle Mission in Tharangambadi, southern India, linking the Stiftungen to global outreach. Models by Christoph Semler and natural specimens illustrate the hands-on teaching methods of the time. Inside, visitors see the original cabinets lined up along the walls. Painted crests above each door depict shells, insects or maps. Glass-fronted drawers hold labelled seeds, dried plants and small animals. A central table sometimes displays larger models. The room still conveys Francke’s idea that studying real things reveals God’s creation. Guided tours once led by ‘Herumführer’ let the public explore this early museum first-hand.