It was recently my husbands birthday and to celebrate, we decided to travel to Frankfurt for the weekend. When researching the trip, we all liked the look of the Senckenberg Museum and so on a freezing Sunday morning we found ourselves making the fifteen minute stroll from our hotel to the museum, to see just what it was all about.
I will cheerfully admit, I can be hard to please. I have high expectations and I know what I like. I have a fairly fixed idea of what makes a good museum experience. Think a building of grand proportions with high ceilings and lots of polished wood; glass cases full of taxidermy and curiosities; things to be touched but some thing strictly only to be admired and stairways that offer a glimpse of something awe-inspiring as you ascend. Senckenberg delivered.
The building that houses the museum is pretty impressive in itself. I loved the fact that as you approach the museum from one side the building is modern and sleek, but the entrance hall is far more traditional. I think this ability to embrace the past and present is key to the museums success and popularity. It is one of Germany’s largest Natural History museums and, being two hundred years old, has weathered a few storms…including being bombed in WW2.
Many of the exhibitions are impressive not only in content, but in the scale of the individual exhibits.
A lot of the museum is purely visual and hands-off but there are some exhibits that you are encouraged to touch, and some great educational activities too. The exhibits you can touch are clearly marked.
One of the most interesting rooms displays exhibits preserved by various means. The collection of preserved specimens are displayed on old style apothecary or Apotek cabinets. The result is a fascinating display, even if it is a little American Horror Story-esque. The children were particularly fascinated by the baby monkey in a jar.
We didn’t manage to cover the whole museum, despite spending about three hours in there. But I’m fairly confident we’ll return. Seckenberg- what a museum should be.
Additional information for those who are interested. We stayed in Frankfurt with Novotel, as it was within walking distance of the museum. You’ll find a link to my Trip Advisor review of our experience here. The website for the Senckenberg Museum is here.
Until next time,
Wife of And Travels x
