Museums International
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DDR Museum Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
by fizzywizzy One of the things I loved about the movie 'Goodbye Lenin' was the lengths that Alex and his sister go to in order to redecorate their apartment to convince their mother, when she comes out of a long coma, that they're still living in the 'old days' of Communist East Germany. Desperately they seek out cheap furniture, nylon clothes and ... even empty Spreewald pickle jars, all those things we now regard as kitsch and retro. Berlin's "Museum of the DDR" (DDR standing for Deutsche Demokratische Republik) has all these things and much more. This well presented exhibition looks at all aspects of life in East Germany from childhood and education, through the teenage years, and into adulthood. It covers fashion, food, interior design, hobbies and holidays. There are sections on newspapers, state security and relationships with other countries behind the Iron Curtain and elsewhere. The museum is located five minutes from the Alexander Platz and the television tower. It is housed in the ground floor of a rather grand old building on the Spree Promenade. It's an area where there are lots of museums as well as a popular crafts market so it's a part of Berlin that is always busy with tourists and as we suspected from the previous day's visit to the Berlin Wall museum at Checkpoint Charlie, there was a queue of people waiting to get in. 'Ostalgia' is big business and this must have been at the forefront of the minds of the people that dreamt up this museum, which is notable in the fact that it's a private concern. In my experience private museums tend to be pretty rubbish; I'm sure there are lots of good ones, but, for the most part, the ones I have visited have been a major let down. Those in charge of the "Museum of the DDR" pride themselves on ploughing all the profits back into the running of the museum and the upkeep of the exhibits. Admission is Euro6 for adults and Euro4 for children but there are some discounts to be had (we got a 25% discount by showing our Berlin Welcome Card) and if you were able to see everything in this very comprehensive exhibition you'd be getting good value. It would be easy to poke fun at the DDR and everything about it; let's face it, there's plenty to laugh about. A prime example is the keeping of 'smells' in glass jars in the Stasi headquarters; we know this is ludicrous but the state police kept them believing that they would one day lead to the arrest of some enemy of the state or another. There are plenty of photographs of people with terrible haircuts wearing equally shocking clothes but this exhibition is about more than simply laughing at out-dated fashions; the fashion section of the exhibition looks at how designers were encouraged and the design briefs they worked to, the development of new synthetic fabrics and the problems that people faced when wearing the clothes. There are lots of first hand accounts included in the exhibition and in the fashion section, you can find out what people thought about wearing clothes made in the DDR from cheap synthetic fibres. There are some great mock ups of domestic interiors and the attention to detail employed in creating them is marvellous. Everything from wall and floor coverings to souvenirs from holidays on the side board and food packaging in the kitchen has been chosen with care, not just to create an accurate visual account of life in the old East Germany, but to make a point. Books on the shelf have been chosen carefully to illustrate how some literature was censored while other authors were held up as exemplary. The section on shopping is gloriously entertaining but also well researched and inventive. There are two receptacles containing different types of coffee bean. One is a fairly decent quality while the other is poor quality and tastes awful. Coffee is an expensive commodity and, of course, something not produced in western Europe. In 1976 the price of coffee began to rise and the East German government decided to buy an inferior blend instead; this contained 51 per cent coffee while the remainder comprised chicory, rye and sugar beet among other fillers. The East German people were furious and demanded the return of the original coffee: fortunately the govenment was able to enter into an agreement with Vietnam which, along with a price drop in 1978, averted a crisis. Visitors to the museum can taste the two blends and compare them. While there's a lot to smile about, this exhibition does not ignore the negative aspects of life in East Germany, though it doesn't make its point as seriously as some other museums in Berlin. I was interested in this part of the exhibition but as the sections looking at state security are at the end of the natural route though the museum, I was tiring by then and I think other visitors were starting to flag and skimmed over what they might otherwise has spent more time on. As well as the use of conventional text boards and photographic displays, this exhibition is very interactive with lots of audio-visual elements. This includes drawers and cupboards built into the display walls, secret windows, interactive musical games and a mini cinema where you can watch clips of popular East German television programmes. Most of these work very well but there was one occasion when an oblivious Italian tourist almost smashed my head as she opened a cupboard door, and I saw one man do himself some mischief when he walked into a drawer that had been left open. You need to allow at least a couple of hours to see this exhibition, especially at busy times as progress around the exhibits can be slow. The museum is open daily from 10.00am until 8.00pm except for Saturdays when it stays open until 10.00pm. The "Museum of the DDR" does the popular culture and domestic life aspects better than it covers the security and state themes. Nonetheless, we found this an enjoyable and entertaining experience and we felt we'd learned a great deal about a variety of areas. It's not an attraction I would think of revisiting but I would recommend a visit to anyone wanting to find out a bit more about the reality of living in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 1 10178 Berlin Mitte Nearest U-Bahn - Alexanderplatz or Klosterstrasse Nearest S-Bahn - Hackescher Markt or Alexanderplaz A gift shop sells a variety of related souvenirs, while an adjoining DDR-Restaurant serves East German classics The museum is wheelchair accessible. All texts are in German and English Read the complete review |
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Brezice Castle (Brezice, Slovenia)
by fizzywizzy Brezice's castle, handsome as it is, is upstaged, because of its position, by the (very) close by Bizeljsko Castle. As you come from the train or bus stations in Brezice the castle is at the opposite end of the slightly curved main street and you can't see it until you're almost there. You can see it if you are coming from Catez in the ... other direction but you only get occasional glimpses of the towers through the trees because this castle does not stand on higher ground as most defensive castles do (this is known as a flatlands defensive fortress). The castle is home to the regional museum collection which charts the history of the area, focussing on archaeology, ethnology and the local industries and traditions of the area. One room is devoted to the paintings of Fran Stiplovsek, a local artist but whose work is known throughout Slovenia. The highlight of Brezice Castle is the Knights' Hall with its frescoes and painted ceiling. It is currently being restored but visitors can still view the room from a gallery at one end. When the room is fully restored, it will be available for use for weddings again. (When castles are being renovated in Slovenia the first job is usually the roof, after which the great hall is restored as the money that weddings bring in can be used to fund further renovations,) A castle in Brezice was first mentioned in 1241 but the one that you see today is the result of extensive rebuilding after enemy raids and fire. The castle is a classic Renaissance fortification with four round towers at the corners, but the interior, including the colonnaded courtyard is pure Baroque. The castle came into the hands of the Habsburgs in 1491 and remained so for a couple of centuries, before falling into the hands of the Croatian House of Frankopan in the middle of the seventeenth century. In 1694 the Attems family (a name that crops up time and again in relation to a wide area of central Europe) took over the castle and it was at this time that the trompe-l'oeil frescoes were painted. During World War 1 the castle was damaged by an earthquake. It was being used at the time as a military hospital. After the Second World War the castle was nationalised. First the castle was converted into apartments for 26 families but in 1949 it was placed in the hands of the Posavski Museum. The castle is open daily but the hours are limited. We visited on a Friday, arriving in Brezice around 11.00am and, learning that the castle was only open until 2.00pm that day, we quickly checked in at our accommodation and raced towards the castle. You enter through the old portal and as you do so you can see where the moat would once have been. It's not immediately obvious where the ticket office is, a feature that is common to most Slovenian castles, in our experience. We went through a glass door and climbed to the first floor, admiring a wonderful painted staircase as we did; a man cut along the colonnade and asked, as he passed us, what we wanted. I explained we wanted to visit the museum, an answer that seemed to please him, through he darted off and didn't advise us where to start. We went back to the courtyard and chose another staircase, this time finding the office where we would buy our tickets. Only on weekends in the height of summer, or on public holidays, will you find Slovenian museums anything approaching busy, though you might encounter the odd school trip or, in the north of the country, a busload of unruly Austrian pensioners; more often than not, you will have the place to yourself. Sometimes that might even mean being entrusted with the key and opening and locking the various galleries as you go. At Brezice the museum attendant kindly raced ahead and opened the doors for us. He pointed out that there were printed information sheets just inside the doorway of each new exhibition space; they were available in different languages and the ones in English were surprisingly free of hilarious typos and odd manglings of the English language. The exhibition starts with an exhibition of artefacts unearthed in archaeological excavations in the area, including the contents of some graves along with the items with which the bodies had been buried, which denoted the importance of the dead person. As valuable as these items are, there was nothing that really caught my attention or set this exhibition apart from most others either in Slovenia or across central and Western Europe. The exhibition also looks at rural life in the region, focussing on wine production in particular. As well as displays of old agricultural and viticultural equipment, there were examples of locally made ceramics and traditional costumes. The wine growing section of the exhibition was my favourite part of the historical displays; this was really well put together, explaining some of the traditions particular to this region, many of which are still followed today. Anton Martin Slomsek was a priest who became Archbishop of Maribor (where we live); he was later canonised by Pope John Paul II in a ceremony held just at the end of our street. I was astonished to learn in Brezice museum that, as a curate in Bizeljsko in the 1820s, Slomsek advocated the introduction of the systematic planting of vines. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed what was translated as the 'Noblemen's Eminence Room'. The display contains some ceramics and furniture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries but the real jewel is the collection of portraits of noblemen and women. The quality of the painting is perhaps slightly substandard (there are some very odd ideas of perspective) but the works are fascinating for what they tell us about not only the fashions of the day, but the values of those who commissioned the works and sat for their portraits, so we often see women wearing their finest pieces of jewellery for their sitting, or perhaps a valuable item belonging to the family being 'casually' placed on a table in the foreground. The Knights Hall is wonderful. Currently undergoing renovation, we were only able to view it from a first floor gallery at one end of the hall but we could still appreciate the colourful images. The frescoes depict scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses and landscapes featuring characters from mythology. The magnificent painted staircase tells the story of the labours of Hercules. The last part of the museum is the Fran Stiplovsek gallery. Stiplovsek was not only a well known and respected painter, he was also the first curator of the Posavski Museum. He was born on the Croatian Island of Krk and studied in Trieste, Vienna and Zagreb and came to the Posavje region when, due to illness, he was forced to abandon his art studies, and took up a teaching post at a school in Krsko, a few kilometres north of Brezice. In this collection there are some portraits and still life paintings, but the best of the collection are the landscape paintings. There are scenes from the local area as well as some from other parts of the country including the capital, Ljubljana, and Lake Bled, which most tourists are sure to recognise. Brezice's isn't the most exciting castle I've visited in Slovenia and the content of its museum is rather conservative and predictable. Usually regional museums contain collections that have been acquired from private collectors and as a result tend to have at least one display that's out of the ordinary. Sadly Brezice does not enjoy that kind of quirky collection. On the other hand, the exhibition is presented well and the exhibits have been cleverly put into context and this is certainly the best place I've been to that explains the traditions of Slovenia's wine making culture. The highlight is the Knight's Hall and Brezice's is widely regarded as the best example of this kind of Baroque decoration in a castle in Slovenia; the entrance fee is worth it for the Knight's Hall alone. A guided tour may be useful but isn't essential. The free literature is sufficient and clear. Much of the exhibition can be enjoyed without notes. The exhibitions space is all on the first floor and wheelchair access is not possible. Admission for adults is just Euro2.50, and for children Euro1.00. I'd call that a bargain. Read the complete review |
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Vasa Museum (Stockholm, Sweden)
by loulou22 Vasa Museum, Stockholm, Sweden Back in February 2012 I was lucky enough to take a weekend break in Stockholm. During this weekend we managed to fit in so many things that I came home feeling like I needed another break! One of the things we did was visit the Vasa Museum, we had not heard of this museum until we arrived in Stockholm ... and one of the other guests in our hostel was telling us about it. Having always had a 'thing' for ships I insisted that we 'needed' to go to this museum. A Little Bit of History The history behind the Vasa is very in-depth and I found it to be very interesting, I will give you a brief overview, but I wont go into much detail as most of this history you will learn at the museum. Built in 1628 by King Gustav II, the Vasa was designed to be the biggest and most threatening ship of its time. At the time there was great conflict between Sweden and Poland and the King had designed the ship in order to defeat Poland. Had the ship been properly and evenly loaded and had more stabilisation there is a possibility this theory could have been validated, however, it was not to be and on its maiden voyage the Vasa ship keeled over and sank to the bottom of the sea off the coast of Stockholm where it remained for over 300 years until it was finally discovered and a salvage mission began in 1956. After a long lift to the surface, carried out in 18 stages the Vasa finally returned to the surface in 1961 and the beginnings of the Vasa Museum were formed. The Vasa Ship Museum The Vasa museum from the outside doesn't look very big, however, looks are definitely deceiving as once you enter the museum it is huge! The museum is built around the reconstructed Vasa ship and is set over 6 levels. The main feature, of course, is the Vasa ship itself. You cannot go onto the ship as obviously scores of tourists would undo all of the hard work that has gone into preserving it, but you can get very close to it and see most of it in great detail. The ship is massive and still very much in its original magnificent form, even after over 300 years at the bottom of the ocean! When we first entered the museum I simply stood still staring up at the Vasa with only one word leaving my mouth... "WOW!" I don't think I can think of a word to describe what I was seeing other than amazing! Looking at the ship itself it is clear to see that the larger part of the ships frame work has remained in tact and still holds its original beauty and exceptional detail. As you move closer to the ship and around it you will see just how well it has been preserved and not only this, but also how fantastic the reconstruction work has been carried out since it resurfaced. The areas which have been reconstructed do stand out as the wood is quite obviously newer and also a slightly different shade of brown, but this takes nothing away from the original beauty which still shines through. As you work your way around the museum you will follow the history of the Vasa all the way from why it was built and how it was built right through to the doomed maiden voyage and of course the huge salvage effort over 300 years later. The way the museum is set out is fantastic, each exhibit has been made interesting with both written information in English and Swedish as well as countless artefacts recovered from the ship wreck and even a detailed history as to how these items came to be relevant to the ship and what they would have been used for. All of the displays are very interactive and I personally found them to be extremely interesting, some of them even made me laugh, especially with the way the villagers at the time reacted to the sinking. The part I found particularly interesting was the large area dedicated to life on board the ship and while this opened my eyes to a lot of things such as disease on board, it also gave a really interesting look into the foods, clothes, entertainment, hard work and how life on the ship would have been in general had it not sank. Another part of the museum I really liked and I think will appeal to children, is the to scale reconstruction of what one of the decks on the ship would have looked like, as this is not part of the actual ship you can walk on this reconstruction and get a feel for how cramped conditions would have been and just how low the ceilings were, I am 5ft 1 inch and my head was touching the ceiling in some areas! As you move to the upper levels there is a fantastic display of one of the ships original cloth sails which has been preserved somehow at the bottom of the sea, on the same level as the sail you will see a beautifully detailed carving which would have been present on the rear of the ship. The lower levels are dedicated more to the salvage of the ship and informative displays about how they succeeded as well as set backs they incurred along the way. There is one floor near the base of the ship which is more modern looking than the rest of the museum and focuses on preservation and future hopes for the Vasa and how the work with the ship continues today as they are still discovering many more articles and facts they did not know. Guided Tours Guided tours are available in audio and human tour guide forms. We didn't take one of these tours though as we wanted to take our time and be sure not to miss anything. I think this was the right choice as there is so much to take in as well as read and do that you are probably better off to do it at your own pace. Accessibility Obviously being set over so many levels there is a lot of walking involved, so be prepared for many staircases and aching legs at the end of the day! For those visitors in wheelchairs or who can't cope with stairs there are a few lifts available to take you directly to every level and once you are on one level the floor is generally flat and everything is spread out so you can move around with great ease. Facilities The Vasa museum has toilet facilities which were kept spotless at the time we visited. There is also a reasonable sized seating area to rest your legs and a large area to hang your coats if you wish. The coat area is unattended though so you would be leaving them at your own risk. Location The Vasa Museum is located on the island of Djurgarden. We walked to the museum with the use of the free map given to us by the hostel and it took us about 45 minutes to get there from the hostel, from the city centre it is only about 25 minutes as we walked there afterwards. We found the museum with ease as it is quite distinctive with the ships mast poles sticking out of the roof of the building and it is also very well signposted. Opening Hours & Entrance Vasa Museum is open 7 days a week from 10am until 5pm and 8pm on a Wednesday. The entrance fee is 110 SEK (Swedish Krona) for an adult over 18 years and free for anyone under 18. Current exchange rate as of May 2012 £1 = 10.90 SEK Overall Overall I highly recommend a visit to the Vasa museum if you are ever in Stockholm. We spent almost 3 hours here and in all honesty I could have spent much longer had we not planned to do other museums as well! A great museum which was worth the entrance price and 3 hours of our time! Thanks for reading :) Read the complete review |
Museum International |
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1 review Address: Rosenthaler Straße 39, 10178, Berlin Mitte / Museum International / Musuem dedicated to a German factory oweer who saved many Berlin Jews from the death camps. |
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1 review Museum International / - Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13 00100 Helsinki Finland. |
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City: Helsinki / Museum International / Country: Finland / World Region: Europe - Nervanderinkatu 13 P.O. Box 913, FI-00101 Helsinki, FINLAND Tel + 358 9 40 501, Fax + 358 9 4050 9300.The National Museum of Finland presents Finnish life from prehistoric times to the present. The permanent exhibition is divi... |
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1 review Museum International / Museums International - The mausoleum and museum of Mevlana founder of the Whirling Dervish sect. |
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1 review Address: Pirita tee 56 / Museum International / 10127 Tallinn / Estonia / Tel: 372 6228600 |
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1 review Type: Museum and art gallery focused on Frans Hals and his contemporaries / Museum International / Location: Groot Heiligland 62, 2011 ES Haarlem / Tel: 023 511 57 75 |
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1 review Museum International / Emerald museum located at Calle 16 No. 6 - 66 Edificio Avianca Piso 23, Bogota |
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1 review Address: Museumeiland 1, 9711 ME Groningen / Museum International / Tel: 050 3 666 555 |
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The College of Physicians / Museum International / A Victorian medical museum in Philadelphia. |
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1 review Address: Santa Catalina 210 / Museum International / Arequipa / Peru / Tel: +51 54 200345 |
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