A museum for Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg

Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (1682 to 1719) was the first German Protestant missionary in India. He came to South India with the Danish-Halle Mission, learnt the Tamil language and translated the Bible, which was published as the so-called Tranquebar Bible in 1713. He founded schools, an orphanage and, in 1707, the first Protestant-Lutheran Tamil congregation in Tranquebar.

Museum director Dr. Samuel Manuel and the museum team answer the questions:

How long has the project existed and who initiated it?

The Ziegenbalg House Museum was opened in Tranquebar on July 15, 2017. Jasmin Eppert was the curator who opened the house of the first Protestant missionary to India as a museum. The museum was initially funded by the Cultural Preservation Fund of the Federal Foreign Office, the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD), the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM), the Leipzig Mission (LMW), the Francke Foundations in Halle, and the All India Printers Association. It is an intercultural dialogue.

What is being done in the project?

The museum's exhibits include Ziegenbalg's baptismal font, his Tamil manuscript in the guest book of the Francke Foundations Halle, the first Bible printed in Tranquebar, the printing press, a "German cupboard" with artefacts from Germany, the Bibliothica Malabarica library and much more. We organise conferences, workshops and seminars for different groups of people such as scholars, university staff and students on many topics.

We also organise book launches. We invite historians to come to the museum to present their books on missionaries.

How has the project changed over time?

Tranquebar is a small place and was not very well known before 2017. Thanks to the Ziegenbalg Museum, many people have now visited Tranquebar. It has become a tourist destination, with visitors travelling from all over the world. Many people will learn more about Ziegenbalg and his work through the museum. Locals benefit financially from the hotel business and the tea and snack bars.

What role has the ELM played in this project?

The ELM is the main donor, providing financial support for the renovation of the house and hiring the curator. It has also financially supported the running of the museum by covering staff salaries and other administrative and programmatic expenses and setting up the Bibliotheca Malabarica library.

What is your wish for the future of the museum?

In the future, the museum should attract visitors and scholars on a national level and become self-sufficient without external support. However, we will need support for another two years or so, as visitor numbers were low due to Covid´-19, and income was insufficient. We would like to thank ELM, especially Ute Penzel, for their continuous support, cooperation, encouragement and motivation from the very beginning.