Return of Twelve Lost Ethiopian Artifacts

Return of Twelve Lost Ethiopian Artifacts

to Strengthen Cultural Heritage, Research, and Tourism: Ministry. Twelve lost Ethiopian artifacts were officially returned to Ethiopia in November 2025. These artifacts, including crowns, shields, and paintings, had been in the possession of a German family for over 100 years, collected by Fritz Weiss, the German envoy to Ethiopia. His grandson, Professor Ramon Weiss, and his niece, Alice Weiss, who had collected them in the 1920s, have now returned them. The handover ceremony took place in Addis Ababa, and the pieces were presented to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University. The Ethiopian side praised the care and dedication of the German family in preserving and returning the artifacts as an important milestone in the protection of Ethiopian cultural heritage. Plans are in place to make the artifacts available to the public soon for research and educational purposes. The return is part of a broader international movement to repatriate African cultural artifacts from private collections and institutions worldwide. This repatriation underscores the importance of preserving cultural heritage in its country of origin and highlights Ethiopia's ongoing efforts to repatriate other cultural artifacts held abroad. The artifacts were collected in the 1920s by Fritz Weiss, the German envoy to Ethiopia. His grandson, Professor Ramon Weiss, and his niece, Alice Weiss, have now returned them, according to media reports. "[The artifacts] offer a unique glimpse into Ethiopian art and crafts of the 1920s," local media quoted Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa as saying at the handover. [The artifacts] offer a unique insight into Ethiopian art and crafts of the 1920s. @https://unn.ua/en/news/ethiopia-received-12-historical-artifacts-that-had-been-stored-in-germany-for-over-a-century @https://anewz.tv/culture/culture-news/15460/germany-returns-12-cultural-artefacts-to-ethiopia/news @https://www.ena.et/web/eng/w/eng_7742734