Special Exhibition: "
" by Anna von Buch: Images of a Region

From June 5 to August 2, 2026, the Angermünde Museum will present the special exhibition “Anna von Buch: Images of a Region.” On display will be photographs from 1933 to 1943 that offer a striking glimpse into life in the Uckermark during a time of both continuity and upheaval.

The exhibition will open on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Angermünde Museum.

A photographic legacy of exceptional value

Anna von Buch was born on August 28, 1892, in Potsdam as Anna von Kessel. Even before World War I, this multi-talented and curious young woman discovered her passion for photography. In 1920, she married Alexander von Buch from Stolpe. Two years later, she moved with him and her eldest son to Wilmersdorf, where the family took over the estate. Six more children were born there.

Between 1933 and 1944, photography became a hobby for Anna von Buch, one that she pursued with great dedication. With her camera, she captured the city, the countryside, nature, agriculture, the estate, the people of Wilmersdorf, and her family life.

Photographs are among a family’s most cherished treasures. With some 2,000 negatives of her photographs, Anna von Buch left an extraordinary legacy not only to her family but also to the region’s cultural memory.

When Anna von Buch and her husband Alexander were forced to leave their Wilmersdorf estate in April 1945 following an evacuation order, the negatives accompanied them on their flight. They remain in the family’s possession to this day.

Rediscovery and Digitization

It was only through her grandson, Dietrich von Buch—who has lived in Wilmersdorf again since 1996—that the negatives were examined, sorted, and categorized. He was assisted in this effort by Angermünde-based photographer Ronald Mundzeck, who undertook the labor-intensive task of digitizing the historical photographs.

This preliminary work made it possible to present selected photographs to a wider audience at the Angermünde Museum.

Everyday Life, Landscapes, and Cityscapes

The exhibition brings together family portraits, photographs of rural life, and cityscapes—including some from Prenzlau. The images document everyday life in a region during turbulent times and, at the same time, possess a special aesthetic appeal.

Frauke Mankartz, former director of the Angermünde Museum, explains:

“The photos are historical records of a rural region caught between continuity and upheaval, and—even though Anna von Buch was an amateur photographer—they possess not only documentary value but also an atmospheric and aesthetic appeal. This is what gives the photos their special quality.”

New Perspectives on Regional History

Under the theme “History and Stories,” the Angermünde Museum is dedicated to the cultural history of the southern Uckermark. The photographs by Anna von Buch complement the museum’s permanent exhibition and, at the same time, offer new perspectives on the region’s history during the 1930s and 1940s.

Frauke Mankartz also emphasizes:
“It is gratifying that selected images from the ‘treasure trove of photographs’ have already been exhibited in Wilmersdorf. The Angermünde Museum offers the opportunity to make these previously little-known photographs from private collections accessible to a wider audience.”

Anna von Buch died on February 27, 1960, in Bad Eilsen, Lower Saxony. Her photographs preserve a valuable piece of regional history—and reveal how people, landscapes, and places in the Uckermark lived and thrived during a time of change.