On 11 July 2025, the Frobenius Institute celebrated its centenary in Frankfurt with around 90 guests at the Frankfurt Historical Museum.
Welcoming speeches were given by the host, Prof. Dr Roland Hardenberg, Director of the Frobenius Institute for Cultural Anthropological Research; Timon Gremmels, Hessian Minister of Science and Research, Art and Culture (video message); Prof. Dr. Bernhard Brüne, Vice-President of Goethe University Frankfurt; and Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research. Even the institute's namesake, Leo Frobenius, had a brief say in an AI-generated speech.
The welcoming addresses were followed by short scientific but also humorous presentations by Prof. Holger Jebens, Dr Richard Kuba and Dr Katja Geisenhainer on the history of the institute. While Holger Jebens focused on Leo Frobenius as a person, drawing primarily on the opinions of contemporary witnesses, Richard Kuba reported on the institute's adventurous expeditions, which are well documented – including photographs – and are of historical relevance. Katja Geisenhainer then provided an overview of the institute's 100-year history, focusing in particular on the personal relationships and atmosphere that have shaped the institute ‘beyond its purely professional activities’.
Between the presentations, film clips were shown, introduced by Dr. Sophia Thubauville, which – in keeping with the presentations – showed the history of the institute and the people and work associated with it.
The closing remarks, which opened the buffet and introduced the more informal part of the evening, were given by Associate Professor Dr. Susanne Fehlings.
The rest of the evening, during which the guests moved from the Leopold Sonnemann Hall to the Schneekugel Foyer and the outdoor terrace, was accompanied by music from the group ‘AnimA’, a quartet of young musicians who, in keeping with the occasion, performed songs from the 1920s.
We would like to thank all our guests, many of whom have been associated with the Institute for many years, for a wonderful evening and hope for more joyful gatherings of this kind in the future!
Video of the anniversary celebration (the event was held in German)
Anniversary celebration programme
Impressions
