Artefacts

This is a model of what is called a Saltkohte - a house used for salt production. Saltkolthes were still being used in Halle in the 19th century. Salt production and the salt trade had a long history in the Halle erea going right back to the bronze age.

A turners lathe, cogwheel drives, a hammer mill, a powder mill, printing press and houses plus entire model workshops. These two display cases contain everything that typifies the Halle Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities. Educational models for the pupils that allowed them to apply theoretical knowledge in practise.

From 1706 on, at the request of the Danish king, the Halle Pietists had sent missionaries to Tranquebar, a danish trading port town in south eastern India. The Pietist mission was to convert the local Malabar people, known today as Tamils. Apart from the religious task of converting the indigenous people, the Halle Pietists were also expected to send reports back home together with any suitable natural and man-made objects for the collection.

Palm leaf manuscripts and translations: Learn more about the work of missionaries from Halle in southern India.

At first glance rather inconspicuous, the objects in this cabinet were of great importance to the Pietists. Here, ‘holy objects from various religions’ have been collected. Even in Gründler's time, the corner cabinet was too small to display all the objects in the display section, and many are still hidden in the lower part.

You will find a collection of all kinds of things in this cabinet: from tableware to handicrafts, and even foodstuffs. It seems as if Gründler gathered everything here that did not really fit into the rest of the artefact collection.

It is fortunate that all the clothes in this wardrobe have been preserved at all. Fabric is very perishable. In addition, in the past, especially among the poor, clothes were worn until there was literally nothing left.

Gottfried August Gründler has assigned a wide variety of paintings, copperplate engravings and drawings to this cabinet. The Luther relief, which was probably created in the late 16th century, immediately catches the eye.

It was not only for religious reasons that the Pietists were friends of the written word. A sound knowledge of scripture and language was also a prerequisite for the success of foreign missions.

Learn more about Francke's eloquent and articulate employees.