Pressemitteilungen

The Alfried Krupp Prize celebrates its 40th anniversary

Essen, 15 October 2026 – The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation has awarded the 2026 Alfried Krupp Prize to the physicist Prof. Dr Raphael Wittkowski. The Alfried Krupp Prize, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, is one of Ger­many’s most distinguished academic awards and an example of constant support for science. The 38-year-old Wittkowski has been Professor of the Theory of Active Soft Matter at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of RWTH Aachen University since 2025. The Selection Committee of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation had received a large number of nominations for outstanding candidates from throughout Germany.

Essen, 3 September 2026 – The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation showcases the exhibition MAKING SENSE OF THINGS at Villa Hügel from 30 April to 15 August 2027. The exhibition brings together works by the Memphis group from the early 1980s with works by eight internationally renowned designers. At the heart of the exhibition is the phenomenon of design as a cultural practice. It focuses on design objects as well as the concepts, attitudes and questions that shape their creation. Film interviews produced specifically for the exhibition alongside the works on display offer a wide range of insights into the studios, working methods and thought processes of the eight participating designers.

Essen, 16 July 2026 – Physicist Prof. Dr. Raphael Wittkowski has been awarded the 2026 Alfried Krupp Prize. The 38-year-old has been Professor of the Theory of Active Soft Matter at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of RWTH Aachen University since 2025. The Alfried Krupp Prize, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, is one of Ger­many’s most distinguished academic awards. The prize is endowed with €1.1 million and includes an allowance of €150,000 to cover the indirect (overhead) costs of the university. The awardee will enjoy the greatest possible flexibility in the allocation of funds for their research at the uni­versity over the next five years. The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation selection committee received a large number of nominations for outstanding candidates from throughout Germany.

April 10, 2025 – The 21 RuhrKunstMuseen represent a unique urban museum landscape in Europe and showcase over 150 art exhibitions every year across 45,000 square metres in 16 cities in the Ruhr region. Founded as part of RUHR.2010 – European Capital of Culture, the network is realising a large-scale exhibition project to mark its 15th anniversary in spring 2025, bringing together the RuhrKunstMuseen collections in a joint show at Villa Hügel in Essen. Exceptional works from the diverse collections will enter into a dialogue that is both surprising and inspiring – the special exhibition will be put together entirely from the world-class art collections of the region’s own museums.

Essen, 13. Dezember 2024 – The reappraisal project initiated by the Krupp Foundation in 2022 on the position of its founder Alfried Krupp to National Socialism continues: The second phase of the project has commenced, and is dedicated to in-depth research based on the results and identified sources of the first section of the project. The multidisciplinary team of eight authors discussed relevant issues as part of an initial workshop, and will focus on various main topics in the coming months to obtain as multifaceted an impression as possible of Alfried Krupp from the 1920s until his death in 1967. The goal is to produce an anthology of contributions based on multiple perspectives, also in English, to be published by the Society for Business History. A digital application is to be developed concurrently with this with the aim of conveying the topic as barrier-free and location-independent as possible, with the particular intention of reaching young target groups.

Essen, September 3, 2024 — The American Academy in Berlin and Krupp Foundation initiated a new fellowship for the in honor of the former chairman of the Krupp Foundation, Berthold Beitz, one of the most distinguished Germans of the twentieth century. The Berthold Beitz Berlin Prize Fellowship will commence in fall 2024 and bring one scholar annually to the Academy’s Hans Arnhold Center for a semester-long residency in Berlin. The fellowship’s focus is on economic and political history. The inaugural Beitz Fellow is Zachary Shore, Professor of History at the Naval Postgraduate School; Senior Fellow at the Institute of European Studies, University of California, Berkeley; and a National Security Visiting Fellow and Stanford University’s Hoover Institution

Essen, 14 July 2023 – The research project initiated by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation in February 2022 and led by Professor Dr. Eckart Conze has unearthed sources that could shed light on Alfried Krupp’s position towards National Socialism. These are to be examined and assessed within the course of further research and will result in a publication. Aspects to be examined in more detail include Alfried Krupp’s memberships in Nazi organisations as well as the so-called ‘Landsberghilfe’, an informal support network for Krupp’s fellow prisoners in the Landsberg Allied war crimes prison, as well as the ‘forced labour’ range of topics. A panel of experts which discussed the results of the research project recommended continuance of the research and a multi-perspective publication project.

Essen, 24 February 2022. – Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach’s entrepreneurial action under National Socialism have already been discussed in the context of the Krupp trial and in later academic studies. However, a comprehensive study of his relationship to National Socialism has not yet been conducted, which is especially true for the period after his pardon in 1951. What did the National Socialist past actually mean for his work at executive level? Did he ponder his responsibility? Did he take into consideration his actions while establishing the Foundation? An academic biography focusing on these questions has yet to be published.