Colonialism on the windowsill: Exotic plants in the World Museum Vienna

Colonialism on the windowsill: Exotic plants in the World Museum Vienna

A fascinating exhibition entitled “Colonialism on the Window Sill” will be on display at the Weltmuseum Vienna from May 28, 2025 to May 25, 2026. This exhibition highlights the interesting history of ten popular house and balcony plants, including the carpenter fir, birch fig, aloe vera and many others. Each of the plants tells its own story about its origin and the people who discovered and spread it. What is particularly exciting is that many of these plants are native outside of Europe. For those who would like to learn more about the biographies of these “exotics”, a visit to this show is a must.

The exhibition, curated by Bettina Zorn, looks at the role of botanists and plant hunters since the 17th century, who went in search of medicinal and useful plants. At that time, exotic plants often served as status symbols for the nobility and the upper class. An example is the spider plant, which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe valued and which found its way into courtly ambience. Another star is the indoor fir, which was discovered in the Pacific by James Cook in 1774 and brought to Europe.

The plants as contemporary witnesses

Interestingly, the exhibition also shows that the African violets found their way to Europe through a German East African expedition. These connections make clear the influence of colonialism on botany and the observation of plants in Europe. But what are the roots of these connections? According to the history of the Anthropological Society in Vienna, founded in 1870, the interaction between cultures is deeply rooted. This society was instrumental in founding an anthropological and prehistoric museum, which opened in 1889 and included a department for ethnology and anthropology.

The museum was a product of the colonial and ethnographic collections, which became increasingly important despite the lack of colonial power by Austria-Hungary. For example, an extensive collection from the Kingdom of Benin, which was captured by British troops, was integrated into the museum as a gift. The seeds of colonialism become visible here, which also left their influence on the way we deal with plants.

A new look at history

But how has the view of colonial history and science changed over time? Since the 1980s, critical voices from the once colonized countries have been heard more widely. Today, historians not only examine Europe's role in colonialism, but also the valuable expertise of colonized people. These reflections open up new perspectives on the plants that surround us and make it clear that knowledge is not exclusively European. A striking example is cartography – during the British colonial period, local knowledge of plants and maps was often ignored or not sufficiently appreciated.

With the exhibition “Colonialism on the Windowsill” the Weltmuseum Wien is making a significant contribution to the critical examination of these topics. Visitors can expect a diverse program that not only celebrates the beauty of the plant world, but also focuses on the stories behind the window plants. Botanical diversity enriches our private and public spaces, and this exhibition invites us to reflect on our interaction with plants.

Further information about the exhibition can be found on the website of ORF and that World Museum Vienna, as well as for historical contextualization bpb.de.