Discover Germany
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Culture
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Müritzeum GmbH
Photo: Felix Gaensicke
THE MÜRITZEUM
Racy UFO or ancient ship? Clad in charred larch wood, visible from afar, the ‘House of 1,000 Lakes’ proudly towers at the edge of Waren’s Old Town. “We often hear that the building by its form and size alone arouses curiosity,” relates Karin Franz, marketing manager at the Müritzeum. ‘Experience Nature – Understand Nature’ is the motto of the Nature Discovery Centre on the Müritz, northern Germany’s largest inland lake in the middle of the Mecklenburg Lake District. The starting point of an expedition through the House of 1,000 Lakes is the forum. Lively waters are happily chattering down from a 270° projection, trees whisper mysteriously, and photographs of nature’s diversity in all its seasonal facets enchant 42 |
Issue 95 |
July 2022
the visitors. In between, in an aquarium two storeys high, a shimmering shoal of over 500 whitefish greets the visitors and entices them to a dip into the underwater world. It’s a welcome that whets the appetite for more. In other small and large, near-natural designed aquariums, the curators of the Müritzeum present aquatic diversity. “In addition to more than 50 fish species, there are also crayfish, terrapins, mussels, snails and water plants. Some of the animals, however, prefer hiding places which they only leave occasionally. Or, they are carefully camouflaged and almost impossible to spot. So, besides curiosity, one should definitely bring with them some time. But it’s worth the wait!” promises Franz.
“It’s a little bit easier to marvel at the animal preparations in the interactive exhibition rooms. You can even listen to them in the concert hall of the Bird Life-theme world,” enthuses the marketing expert. Here, whitetailed eagles, cranes etc. can also be admired in their natural size. The tour continues in the Forest-theme room, where visitors meet a 1,000-year-old tree giant and tiniest forest dwellers of ancient beech forests. By crossing a ‘mighty glacier’, visitors learn in a journey through time how these gigantic masses of ice formed the landscape and how man impacted his environment in the past. After the visit, guests can enjoy nature on the circular trail around the idyllic Herrensee in the museum garden. Müritzeum: here, you can experience nature, understand nature and enjoy nature. www.mueritzeum.de/en
TEXT: SILKE HENKELE
The Müritzeum, with its interactive dedicated exhibition rooms, unique natural history exhibits and Germany’s largest aquarium landscape for native freshwater species, serves as a window to one of the most beautiful landscapes in Germany with the Müritz National Park.