Invisible Cogs of Power: Last 5 Days for “Relevant to the System” at Humboldt Forum

When you walk through the monumental corridors of the reconstructed historic Berlin Palace—today known as the Humboldt Forum—in the heart of Berlin, a single narrative of history strikes your eye: fourteen statues of Brandenburg prince-electors standing proudly from the 17th century to the present. All made of marble, all powerful, and all male.

Located in one of Germany’s largest and most debated cultural complexes, the exhibition titled “Relevant to the System: Women in Ruling Families” asks a quiet yet jarring question right in the middle of these showy halls: Where were the women next to these massive statues of power? There are only 5 days left on the calendar… Ending on Sunday, August 3, 2026, this special selection makes the overshadowed half of power visible once again, underground and above.

Fourteen Monuments, Zero Women: The Berlin Leg of the WIRKSAM Project

The Humboldt Forum stands as one of the primary venues where the Hohenzollern dynasty ruled for centuries. However, women were not included in any of the 14 monumental statues represented in the building’s institutional architecture. The “Relevant to the System” exhibition selects precisely this historical blind spot as its area of intervention.

Conducted as the Berlin leg of the WIRKSAM project in partnership with ten different museums across Germany, this display places four dynasty princesses from four different centuries alongside those monumental male statues. The goal is to make the viewer feel both physically and conceptually that women were just as “system-relevant and foundational” as men, yet were systematically erased from official history.

Invisible Architects of Politics, Diplomacy, and Heritage

One of the prominent figures in the exhibition, Anna von Brandenburg (1487–1514), Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, managed some of the most critical diplomatic and artistic moves of her era to guarantee the dynasty’s political future. She shaped the visual identity of the dynasty through art patronage, estate management, and donations; yet her name was never carved into those monumental marbles.

This example embodies the central thesis of the exhibition: The wheel of power in dynasties could never turn without women. Strategic marriages, management of vast inheritances, religious patronage, and the execution of court bureaucracy were the responsibility of women. However, official historiography and representation rights were always seen as the property of male princes. Through rare archival documents, personal belongings, and visual records of the period, the exhibition elevates this invisible function to its deserved place.

Re-reading Historical Memory: Why Now?

The museum world and academia have been loudly debating the question “To whom does memory belong?” in recent years. Which objects were deemed worthy of preservation, and whose stories were left to be forgotten? The WIRKSAM project represents the determination of ten coordinated museums—rather than a single institution—to re-read the same dynastic history through a feminist and critical lens.

Frequently Asked Questions About Humboldt Forum’s “Relevant to the System”

Until when and during what hours can the exhibition be visited?

The exhibition can be visited until Sunday, August 3, 2026. The Humboldt Forum (Schloßplatz 1, 10178 Berlin) is open to visitors every day.

Is admission charged?

No, admission to this exhibition is completely free.

What exactly is the WIRKSAM project?

It is a national research and exhibition project bringing together 10 different museums across Germany to re-evaluate the historical, political, and artistic influence of women in the Hohenzollern dynasty through archives.

NO-26 Editor’s Art Route Note

If you are on the Berlin-Mitte side and passing through those imposing courtyards of the Berlin Palace, be sure to set aside time for this exhibition, open until Sunday. Reading the stories of four dynasty princesses overshadowed by showy male statues will change your perspective on historical power relations. Plus, it’s completely free!