Exhibits from the NIhK and the OLME incorporated into the REDBAD exhibition in Leeuwarden

On 5 September 2026, the special exhibition ‘REDBAD: the legendary king’, funded under the Germany–Netherlands Interreg VI programme, opened at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden. As part of this elaborately conceived exhibition, numerous significant early medieval finds from the regions along the Dutch and German North Sea coasts are presented together. The exhibits also include a number of objects from the Dunum burial ground and the Wurt Hessens, which form part of the NIhK’s collection. However, the Sceatta hoard from Hesel – which is normally on display at the East Frisian State Museum in Emden (OLME) – and the clothing belonging to the man from Bernuthsfeld are also on show here. As these are currently being scientifically documented and analysed at the NIhK as part of a research project, the NIhK and the OLME have decided to jointly organise the preparations for the loan, as well as the transport of all loan items from their collections and their installation in the exhibition. In the days leading up to the exhibition opening, all the exhibits from Wilhelmshaven and Emden had to be prepared for the exhibition and transported to Leeuwarden. Thanks to custom-made crates, in which the various artefacts were carefully stored and further secured, even the large items of clothing could be loaded without any difficulty. After a journey of around three hours, all the artefacts arrived at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden in one piece. A small team from the NIhK, actively supported by helpful colleagues from the Fries Museum, was then able to place all the artefacts in the specially prepared display cases for the special exhibition and secure them in place. In this beautifully designed exhibition, all the exhibits take on a very special quality, making a visit well worth your while.