2_0_DiscoverGermany_Issue30_September2015:Scan Magazine 1
28/8/15
10:22
Page 46
Domain Dahlem From field to fork In times when one barely knows which ingredients a ready-meal entails, it seems important to think about the origins of food products. Berlin’s Domain Dahlem is a farm and museum for the young and old alike which vividly demonstrates where our food originally comes from. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: KARIN WENDLANDT I DIRK LAUBNER I DOMAIN DAHLEM
“The Domain Dahlem is an organic farm and museum in one and probably the world’s only farm with an underground connection (‘Dahlem-Dorf’). In no other museum, one can experience so authentically and diversely where food comes from,” Dr. Peter Lummel, museum director, explains. The open-air museum is divided into two sections: the farm and the museum. Both present the cohesive food chain from primary production to processing, as well as trade, cooking and consumption. The farm demonstrates the everyday working life from farming, animal keeping and horticulture to landscaping. “Our fields have an 800-year-old uninterrupted tradition of agricultural use which is unique,”Dr. Lummel notes. The fields exhibit numerous vegetable and fruit varieties and visitors can see old breeds of farm animals, such as cows, horses, pigs,
46 | Issue 30 | September 2015
sheep, chickens or bees. Right next to the farm shop, one can look over the shoulder of a blacksmith or a baker. “Last but not least, we have a country inn which serves our own fresh products, as well as a multigeneration playground,”Dr. Lummel adds. The museum, on the other hand, collects, preserves and presents historical-cultural topics about food history from field to fork. “Our vision is to holistically teach about food’s history, present and future through our farm, exhibitions and events. We give new impulses and encourage reflection of one’s own eating preferences without finger-wagging,” Dr. Lummel says. The CULINARIUM is a new attraction in Berlin: a prize-winning experience exhibition about the cultural history of food and drink. 900-square-metres of exhibition space with many hands-on attractions show how staple foods are processed or
Main image: Manor house: museum and Berlin’s oldest residential building. © Domain Dahlem I Photo: Karin Wendlandt Top: Aerial image of the Domain Dahlem. © Domain Dahlem I Photo: Dirk Laubner Above: Hands-on attractions in the CULINARIUM. © Domain Dahlem Below: Harvesting and cooking for children and families. © Domain Dahlem I Photo: Karin Wendlandt
how the supermarket or the history of fast food developed.Visitors can milk a cow or even listen to table talks from a 1968 flat share. One can explore and discover, relax on the fields or visit market festivals throughout the year in a true oasis. No wonder that their visitor-focused educational approach with tours for all age groups has already won numerous national awards.The museum’s information range is available in English and German. www.domaene-dahlem.de