Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum, Munich

The Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum is a museum devoted to the history of hunting and fishing, housed in Munich’s former Augustinian church. Its collection brings together prepared wild animals, fish specimens, hunting weapons, fishing equipment and ornate hunting sledges from different periods. The most striking surprises are the skeletons of a giant deer and cave bears, alongside a collection of Wolpertingers, the fantastical creatures that form one of the museum’s curiosities.

In the ground-floor displays, dioramas present native wildlife; another exhibition explores fish biology and aquatic ecology through the theme “Water Worlds – Fish Stories.” The museum’s story is as dramatic as its objects. In 1934, the Bavarian ministry acquired the Arco-Zinneberg antler collection just before it was due to leave for the Netherlands.

The museum opened at Nymphenburg Palace in 1938, and most holdings were stored away during the Second World War. After the war, the Augustinian church became its new home; the museum reopened there on the third of November 1966. Its collection expanded to include freshwater fish and fishing gear in 1982, giving the institution its present name.