The Executive Committee of the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Society has appointed Dr. Norma Henkel as the new Director of the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Museum and the new Managing Director of the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Society with effect from March 1, 2025.
The 46-year-old archaeologist took over as museum director from Ms. Kristina Kuhn (until September 2023) and Ms. Manuela Dietz (until May 2023). In the position of Managing Director, she succeeds Ms. Stephanie Kaps, who has been managing the Jahn-Gesellschaft on an interim basis since November 2023.
Henkel has extensive experience in strategic public relations work in the cultural and museum sector. After studying archaeology in Halle (Saale), she has worked in various positions in the press department, editorial office and on the staff of the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology with the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle since 2006. During this time, she has accompanied numerous exhibitions and scientific or cultural tourism projects as well as coordinating various book projects and specialist conferences. For the most part, she worked in parallel on her dissertation on the Neolithic circular ditch complex at Goseck in the Burgenland district, which she successfully completed in 2016. Most recently, as a research assistant in the "GOLEHM Initiative for Earthen Building and Sustainable Circular Economy", she was responsible for the public relations work of the research alliance and gained experience in the renovation of listed buildings.
This experience will now also be put to good use at Henkel's future place of work: from 2026, the former home of the "gymnastics father" will be renovated in line with its listed status. At the end of 2024, the town of Freyburg received the funding decision for 3.3 million euros from the "National Urban Development Projects" investment program of the Federal Ministry of Building (BMWSB). The museum will be completely cleared out by the end of 2025 and the collection of around 17,000 objects, the library collection of almost 7,000 titles and the offices will be housed in alternative premises in Freyburg. The museum is set to reopen in 2028 with a newly designed permanent exhibition. During the renovation work, the museum will continue to operate in the form of an interim exhibition in the Jahn-Ehrenhalle in the town of Freyburg.
The press release with additional interview can be found here as pdf for download.
