Erweiterung um eine Abteilung „Immanuel Kant, Königsberg und die deutsche Aufklärung" ("Creating a New Department: 'Immanuel Kant, Königsberg and the German Enlightenment'")

In 2024, the 300th birthday of the most important philosopher of modern times, Immanuel Kant, will be commemorated worldwide. Kant, who came from Königsberg and never left East Prussia, is to receive permanent museum recognition for the first time in Germany with the creation of a special department at the East Prussian State Museum.
Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) revolutionized modern philosophy and is still today considered probably the most important thinker of modernity and an outstanding figure of the Enlightenment. His ideas on epistemology, ethics, aesthetics as well as his reflections on forms of government and international law are still omnipresent in scientific and social debates worldwide. Throughout his life, Kant never once left 
Ostpreußen
deu. Ostpreußen, eng. East Prussia, pol. Prusy Wschodnie, lit. Rytų Prūsija, rus. Восто́чная Пру́ссия, rus. Vostóchnaia Prússiia

Ostpreußen ist der Name der ehemaligen, bis 1945 bestehenden östlichsten preußischen Provinz, deren Ausdehnung (ungeachtet historisch leicht wechselnder Grenzverläufe) ungefähr der historischen Landschaft Preußen entspricht. Die Bezeichnung kam erst in der zweiten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts in Gebrauch, als neben dem 1701 zum Königreich erhobenen Herzogtum Preußen mit seiner Hauptstadt Königsberg weitere, zuvor polnische Gebiete im Westen (beispielsweise das sog. Preußen Königlichen Anteils mit dem Ermland und Pommerellen) zu Brandenburg-Preußen kamen und die neue Provinz Westpreußen bildeten.
Heutzutage gehört das Gebiet der ehemaligen preußischen Provinz überwiegend zu Russland (Oblast Kaliningrad) und Polen (Woiwodschaft Ermland-Masuren). Das ehemalige sog. Memelland (auch Memelgebiet, lit. Klaipėdos kraštas) kam erstmals 1920 und erneut ab 1945 zu Litauen.

. This is one of the reasons why there is still no permanent museum exhibition in Germany devoted to this outstanding, internationally respected and revered personality – a significant desideratum for a country like Germany that sees itself as a cultural nation.
 
In 2016, the Duisburg Museum "City of Königsberg" was closed down and the East Prussian State Museum took over its collections. These comprise some 3,500 exhibits, including paintings, arts and crafts, archival documents and historical exhibits. The “Kantiana” are particularly noteworthy and make this arguably the most extensive collection on Immanuel Kant in Germany. The Federal Government and the state of Lower Saxony are now funding an extension that will create 700 square meters of new exhibition space to present Kant, 
Kaliningrad
deu. Königsberg, rus. Калинингра́д

Kaliningrad is a large city in present-day Russia with almost 500,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland, which roughly corresponds to the northern part of the Prussian province of East Prussia before 1945 (today excluding Lithuanian areas). Before 1945, Königsberg was not only the capital of the province and the northeasternmost major city in Prussia, but also royal capital and residence in Prussia from 1724.

 and the German Enlightenment on a broad scale. In addition to the new exhibition area, a new research department on the topic of "Immanuel Kant, Königsberg and the German Enlightenment" will be established.