Unusual Museums
Rachel asked for more details about the Easter Bunny Museum, which I mentioned yesterday. It's one of several museums housed at the Zentrum für Aussergewöhnliche Museen (Center for Unusual Museums) here in Munich. Each "museum" in the center is more like a large exhibit of the indicated item. Easter bunnies, pedal cars, chamber pots -- it's certainly an unusual collection.
Laura and I went in October, mostly drawn by the chamber pots. We discovered the bourdalous there as well. These intricately decorated little chamber pots (intended for use by ladies in the parlor) resemble nothing so much as fancy gravy boats -- some were even made by Meissen. Being faced with an entire room of them was really a little disconcerting, to tell the truth. They really used these things during church? Or in the parlor?
Visiting ZAM is something like walking through the rooms of a very thorough, very eccentric private collector. The chamber pot collection is truly impressive -- there seem to be thousands -- and it's worth seeing for the political and humorous chamber pots alone. The Easter bunny collection was a little disappointing, although perhaps I just expected more from the erstes Osterhasen-Museum der Welt.
Other items displayed at ZAM are perfume bottles, guardian angels, and "Sisi" memorabilia. I think it once also housed a collection of antique locks and keys (and possibly some punishment devices) but apparently these have been moved elsewhere.
Incidentally, if one is interested in ancient locks, keys, and punishment/torture devices, there's an excellent museum of such things in Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Das Kriminalmuseum. Really outstanding.
Rachel asked for more details about the Easter Bunny Museum, which I mentioned yesterday. It's one of several museums housed at the Zentrum für Aussergewöhnliche Museen (Center for Unusual Museums) here in Munich. Each "museum" in the center is more like a large exhibit of the indicated item. Easter bunnies, pedal cars, chamber pots -- it's certainly an unusual collection.
Laura and I went in October, mostly drawn by the chamber pots. We discovered the bourdalous there as well. These intricately decorated little chamber pots (intended for use by ladies in the parlor) resemble nothing so much as fancy gravy boats -- some were even made by Meissen. Being faced with an entire room of them was really a little disconcerting, to tell the truth. They really used these things during church? Or in the parlor?
Visiting ZAM is something like walking through the rooms of a very thorough, very eccentric private collector. The chamber pot collection is truly impressive -- there seem to be thousands -- and it's worth seeing for the political and humorous chamber pots alone. The Easter bunny collection was a little disappointing, although perhaps I just expected more from the erstes Osterhasen-Museum der Welt.
Other items displayed at ZAM are perfume bottles, guardian angels, and "Sisi" memorabilia. I think it once also housed a collection of antique locks and keys (and possibly some punishment devices) but apparently these have been moved elsewhere.
Incidentally, if one is interested in ancient locks, keys, and punishment/torture devices, there's an excellent museum of such things in Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Das Kriminalmuseum. Really outstanding.
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