The Archaeological Museum is closed until 7 November due to exhibition renovations. From 8 November, a special exhibition on Sicilian coins will be on display.
Sicily – Island of Arethusa
‘The Key to Everything’
Special Exhibition on Sicilian Coins
‘Italy without Sicily leaves no impression on the soul: here lies the key to everything,’ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe observed in 1787. He was particularly impressed by the extensive coin collections of the nobles living there, which featured pieces of outstanding quality and aesthetic appeal. From 8 November, visitors to the Archaeological Museum of the University of Münster will also have the opportunity to explore the numismatic treasures of the island. The special exhibition ‘Sicily – Island of Arethusa’ can be seen until 27 February 2026 in the Fürstenberghaus on Domplatz.
Return After More Than 50 Years
For years, the Archaeological Museum has been endeavouring to determine the complete provenance of its exhibits and, in cases where this cannot be established, to return them to their rightful owners. As a result, the skyphos belonging to Spiridon Louis and a fragment of a statue from Fondi have already been returned to the Greek state. Following reports of this, a woman from the Münsterland region contacted Dr Helge Nieswandt, the former curator of the museum. During a visit to Olympia in the 1960s, she had taken a fragment as a souvenir. In the museum, it was identified as part of the Leonidaion, the guest house of Olympia. Curator Dr Torben Schreiber, acting as mediator, has now returned the ‘souvenir’ to the Greek state in Olympia.