Ethiopia receives 12 repatriated artefacts expected to boost heritage tourism
Ethiopia has received 12 historical artefacts repatriated from Germany, officially handed to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University on 19 November 2025. Facilitated by the German Embassy in Addis Ababa, the collection includes shields, two ceremonial crowns and paintings – some gifted by Regent Tafari Makonnen – and is expected to strengthen heritage preservation, academic research and cultural tourism.
The ceremony at Ras Makonnen Hall was attended by Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa, AAU President Samuel Kifle and Germany’s chargé d’affaires Ferdinand von Weyhe. The items were donated by Professor Ramon Wyss and his niece, Alice Wise, descendants of Fritz Weiss, Germany’s envoy to Ethiopia in the 1920s, with the return process under way since 2016. To mark the occasion – and 120 years of Ethiopia–Germany diplomatic relations – the Goethe Institut will stage an exhibit of 51 rare photographs by Envoy Weiss and his wife, Hedwig. Officials noted the additions complement earlier returns linked to the 1868 Maqdala expedition.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
