In winter 2025, the Historisches Museum Bamberg opens its doors to an exhibition that touches us in a very special way - because it is about what drives, moves and sometimes overwhelms us: our wishes. Under the poetic title "Make a wish! Make a Wish!", the museum invites you to explore the power and magic of wishing - a force that is deeply rooted in our psyche and at the same time holds the mirror to our times.

From the primal dreams of mankind to the modern yearnings of the present - the exhibition unfolds a multi-layered panorama of human desires. It takes us from archaic amulets that promised protection and happiness, through the fairy tales of Romanticism, to the glossy promises of advertising and the algorithmically controlled desires of social media. The exhibition shows how our desires have changed over the centuries - and yet how they have always remained an expression of the same deep longing for fulfillment, love, meaning and belonging.
Curated with an interdisciplinary view between psychology, theology and philosophy, "Make a wish!" is dedicated to both the inner and outer dimensions of wishing. What does it mean to want something? When does a wish become a hope - or an illusion? And how do personal desires differ from collective visions that shape entire societies? The exhibition deliberately leaves such questions open in order to create space for individual reflection.

View of the "Make a wish!" exhibition, photo: Silke Heimerl © Museen der Stadt Bamberg

Special attention is also paid to the darker side of wishing: the temptation to want more and more, manipulation through consumption and advertising, the dangerous forces of "false wishes" - right up to curses and maledictions that have found their place in popular belief and literature. Thus, wishing is not only shown as an expression of human hope, but also as an ambivalent driving force between desire and renunciation.
A special highlight are the diverse objects from the collections of the Bamberg Municipal Museums - from archaeological finds, historical toys and personal lucky charms to modern symbols of desire. They tell stories of people who believed that wishes could come true - or who feared them.
The exhibition is not only a place to look at, but also to participate in. Numerous interactive stations invite visitors to formulate their own wishes - for themselves, for others or for the whole world. Children can playfully explore what it means to make a wish and adults may be reminded of forgotten dreams.
"Make a wish!" is accompanied by a varied supporting program with guided tours, workshops, readings and talks that delve deeper into the topic and open up new perspectives. The exhibition is sponsored by the Oberfrankenstiftung and the Sparkasse Bamberg Foundation, which are making a valuable contribution to the cultural exploration of a universal theme of humanity.
At a time when desires are often confused with consumption, the Bamberg Historical Museum invites us to engage in a quiet, thoughtful and inspiring dialog with ourselves. Because in the end, this exhibition seems to say, wishing is nothing less than an expression of our humanity.
October 31, 2025 to March 22, 2026
www.museum.bamberg.de