Hans-Martin Hinz

Hans-Martin Hinz, 2014

Hans-Martin Hinz (born July 31, 1947 in Berlin ) is a German historian and museum expert. From 2010 to 2016 he was President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Live and act

Hans-Martin Hinz first completed a commercial apprenticeship and worked in the tourism industry (1963–1968). He worked as the managing director of a Berlin youth association (1968–1970) and obtained his higher education entrance qualification (1970–1972). Then from 1972 to 1978 he studied history, geography, education and philosophy at the Free University of Berlin , was a doctoral scholarship holder of the Cusanuswerk , Bonn (support for gifted students) and was awarded a doctorate in geography. rer. nat. PhD. As a student trainee he taught history, social studies, political world studies and geography from 1982 to 1984.

Hinz began his career in the field of culture as a research assistant at the Senate Department for Cultural Affairs, Berlin (1985–1991), where he was involved in the establishment of the German Historical Museum (DHM) in 1987 , but also in the evaluation of museums and memorials in the East - and West Berlin after the opening of the Wall in 1989. The center of his professional work was the German Historical Museum, where he played a key role in the development of the new National Museum from 1991 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2012 as a department director and member of the management team. The politically important committee work and the external representation of the museum at this time, the participation in committees and advisory boards - such as in the Franco-German commission for the return of cultural assets relocated due to the war and in the federal memorial commission - were his responsibility. He was also responsible for the national and international scientific program of events of the museum and for the content and organizational preparation of the founding of further museums and memorials in Berlin as well as the preparation of architectural competitions. His area also included press and public relations work as well as marketing for the museum. He represented the museum in national and international museum associations. Hinz curated several international exhibitions and implemented the core concept for the German Historical Museum, to present German history in an international context and from multiple perspectives.

In 2000, Hinz was appointed to cultural policy and until 2001 was State Secretary of Senator Stölzl for science, research and culture in Berlin and thus head of the authorities and chairman of the supporting organizations of various cultural institutions.

In 2013 the Free State of Bavaria appointed him honorary professor at the University of Bayreuth , where he mainly teaches museology in the field of new and contemporary history.

Work in the International Council of Museums (ICOM)

Hans-Martin Hinz volunteers in cultural and scientific institutions. In 2010, Hinz was the first German to be elected President of ICOM at the 25th General Assembly in Shanghai, the world's largest international cultural association, the International Council of Museums with currently over 46 000 members and based in Paris, and in 2013 at the 28th General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro confirmed as President for a further three years. In doing so, he made the association more global, developed new strategic plans, strengthened the professionalization of museum staff worldwide through the establishment of permanent and periodic training centers, put the association on a secure financial basis and expanded the programs for the protection of cultural heritage, in particular for crisis areas in the world. He developed ICOM into a close partner of UNESCO.

Hinz was previously President of the German National Committee of ICOM (1999–2004), the Regional Committee ICOM-Europe (2002–2005) as well as in management positions in other ICOM sub-organizations.

Since 2017 he has been program director of the ICOM International Training Center for Museum Studies, Beijing, and was a member of the jury for the European Museum of the Year Award , EMYA (2017-2018). He acted as a material judge for the architecture competition of the permanent exhibition House of History Austria , Vienna (2017), was a judge (2018) for the international competition of national museum award winners at THE BEST IN HERITAGE (Dubrovnik), headed the jury of the Belarusian Museum Forum ( 2019), was a consultant for an EU cultural project (2013–2016) and is often a keynote speaker at international and national conferences.

additional

In the national area he was a. a. Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Stadtmuseum Berlin Foundation (2004–2008), Chairman of the Working Group on Non- University Historical Research Institutions (AHF), Munich (2003–2012), was a member of the German Cultural Council (1999–2004), board member of the Society for Geography (2007–2002) 2019) and worked on the Advisory Board of the House of History Baden-Württemberg (2009-2013). In addition, he headed several exhibition advisory boards.

Hinz is currently chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Sudetendeutsche Museum, Munich, as well as a member of the board of trustees of the Curt Engelhorn Foundation , Mannheim, and deputy chairman of the Foundation for Comparative European Overseas History, Bamberg. He is also a member of the expert committee of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) for the European Heritage Label (EU Council of Ministers and Parliament) and is a member of the editorial boards of several specialist publications.

Federal President Joachim Gauck awarded Hans-Martin Hinz the Federal Cross of Merit in 2014 for his national and international services to culture and science.

Hinz has more than 200 publications, nationally and internationally, mainly on museum topics, but also as the editor of exhibition catalogs and symposium documentation as well as articles on history and geography didactics and on museum association work.

Hans-Martin Hinz lives in Berlin and is married to Hella Hinz.

Awards

• 2014: Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Publications

• Literature by and about Hans-Martin Hinz in the catalog of the German National Library