Berlin keeps Nefertiti bust despite Egypt’s decades-long repatriation push
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) has confirmed that the bust of Nefertiti will stay in Berlin. This decision follows ongoing discussions about its potential return to Egypt. The organisation insists the division of the 1913 find was legally sound at the time.
The SPK recently addressed requests for the bust’s repatriation. Egyptian authorities have sought its return since 1924, but no formal demand—even on moral grounds—has been made. The foundation argues that the original agreement from 1913 was lawful under the rules of that period.
Egypt’s upcoming Grand Egyptian Museum was noted, yet the SPK claims Nefertiti’s fragility makes transport impossible. While the foundation engages in broader restitution debates, it has previously returned objects and human remains to other nations. However, it maintains that Berlin’s modern museums provide the safest home for the artefact.
The SPK’s stance remains firm: Nefertiti will not leave Germany for now. Past repatriation efforts have focused on colonial-era items, but Egypt’s case centres on a long-standing dispute over this single, iconic piece.
The bust’s future is settled, at least in the near term. Berlin’s museums will continue to house it, citing legal and conservation concerns. Egypt’s push for return, though decades old, has not shifted the SPK’s position.
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