Twelve pieces — including crowns, shields, traditional artworks and other culturally significant items — were formally handed over on Wednesday to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University.
The collection had been preserved by the family of Franz Weiss, Germany’s envoy to Ethiopia in the 1920s, and his wife Hedwig. Their son, represented at the ceremony by Professor Ramon Wyss, presented the items to Ethiopian officials, saying the gesture was meant to “share their beauty with the public and honour the history connected to my father’s birth in Ethiopia.”
Germany’s current envoy to Ethiopia, Ferdinand von Weyhe, said the return highlighted “the long-standing and friendly relationship” between the two nations.
Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa welcomed the handover, praising the Weiss family for preserving the artefacts and choosing to return them to their original home. She announced that the pieces will soon be accessible to scholars and the public for research and academic study, calling the move “a milestone in safeguarding Ethiopia’s cultural heritage.”
Ethiopia has been intensifying efforts to recover historical items taken abroad during the colonial era or removed under unclear circumstances. Officials say work is underway to identify additional artefacts held by private collectors and institutions around the world.
In recent years, several European countries — including Germany, which in 2022 returned a portion of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria — have begun responding to African calls for the restitution of cultural property.