Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Munich Deutsches Jagd und Fischereimuseum (German Museum of Hunting and Fishing)

Deutsches Jagd und Fischereimuseum (German Museum of Hunting and Fishing)

Housed in an old church, this hunting museum holds a collection of mythical bird-rabbit creatures.

Munich, Germany

Added By
dinoboy89
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
A wolpertinger.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
Diorama of how wolpertingers are created.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
The museum is housed in a 13th century church.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
Wolpertinger diversity.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
18th century necklace made of teeth.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
Fossils and taxidermy at the museum.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
Artifact explaining the history of hunting.   dinoboy89 / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  gretafries / Atlas Obscura User
Wolpertinger stuffed animal from gift shop (rabbit, owl, moose, duck, platypus hybrid)   gretafries / Atlas Obscura User
Wolpertinger stuffed animal from the gift shop  
  jodiebelcher / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Museum Entrance   jesshartleylowe / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

With its rows of taxidermy animal heads and displays full of the unholy hybrid animals straight out of Bavarian folklore, Munich's Deutsches Jagd und Fischereimuseum (Museum of Hunting and Fishing) looks more like a surprisingly clean pagan chapel, which is unsurprising since the whole thing is housed in a 13th-century church.

Originally opened in a German castle in 1938, the museum was created in response to public demand spurred on by the area's long tradition of game hunting. Unfortunately it did not last very long and the taxidermalogical assemblage, which included a prestigious antler collection, was closed with the onset of World War II. However, undeterred the museum reopened in 1966 inside of the former Augustinerkloster, a defunct Augustinian abbey that had stood in the city since the 13th century. Elk heads were posted at the stations of the cross and the central crucifix was replaced with a piece of taxidermy. Finding more stability and success in the lovely new space, the museum's collection of animals (and their heads) continued to grow and the scope was expanded to include exhibits related to fishing in the 1980s.

However alongside the sprawling collection of over 1,000 taxidermy beasts, the star attraction of the museum is the small selection of mammalian-avian monstrosities known as "wolpertingers." A European cousin to the equally mythic American Jackalope, wolpertingers are rare chimerical creatures said to inhabit the dense Bavarian forests. In reality the novelty taxidermy are simply imaginative mashups of various small game and bird parts creating beasts that often resemble vermin with horns, fangs, and wings.

From the legendary wolpertingers to the centuries old church they are housed in, fans of taxidermy don't need to hunt after any better museum than the Deutsches Jagd und Fischereimuseum.  

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Museums Taxidermy Mythology

Know Before You Go

The museum is easy to find and just off the main pedestrian mall. As of 2024, the entrance fee is 5 euros and they only accept cash.

Community Contributors

Added By

dinoboy89

Edited By

Martin, Molly McBride Jacobson, jesshartleylowe, jodiebelcher...

  • Martin
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • jesshartleylowe
  • jodiebelcher
  • Collector of Experiences
  • gretafries

Published

January 6, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Jagd-_und_Fischereimuseum
Deutsches Jagd und Fischereimuseum (German Museum of Hunting and Fishing)
Neuhauser Straße 2
Munich, 80331
Germany
48.13845, 11.57135
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Der Teufelstritt (The Devil's Footprint)

Munich, Germany

miles away

Orlando di Lasso Statue

Munich, Germany

miles away

Wurmeck

Munich, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Munich

Munich

Germany

Places 35

Nearby Places

Der Teufelstritt (The Devil's Footprint)

Munich, Germany

miles away

Orlando di Lasso Statue

Munich, Germany

miles away

Wurmeck

Munich, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Munich

Munich

Germany

Places 35

Related Stories and Lists

Where to Find the World's Best Hometown Monsters

cryptozoology

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • New Orleans, Louisiana

    The Great American Alligator Museum

    Come for the 14-foot-long taxidermy alligator. Stay for the mini costumed gators shooting pool.

  • The collection includes eight intact human skeletons.

    Brooklyn, New York

    The Bone Museum

    This museum dedicated to the history of the medical bone trade and human osteology.

  • León, Nicaragua

    Museum of Traditions and Legends

    Housed in a 20th-century prison, this small museum recounts local Nicaraguan myths.

  • Duncan, British Columbia

    Hand of Man Museum

    A former elementary school houses one man's extensive collection of art, artifacts, and taxidermy.

  • A strange octopus specimen

    Norwich, England

    Norwich Castle Museum

    This medieval castle is filled with an eccentric collection that ranges from ancient Egyptian artifacts to taxidermy to a mummified hand that was cut off during a duel.

  • Peter the dog.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Queensland Police Museum

    It's home to the taxidermy remains of Peter, the dog who helped convict a murderer.

  • Closeup of the elephant herd.

    New York, New York

    African Elephants Diorama

    This magnificent herd of stampeding elephants has been frozen in time for over a century.

  • A taxidermy hippo.

    Tervuren, Belgium

    Royal Museum for Central Africa Natural History Collections

    A fascinating and enormous collection of natural history exhibits stained by a dark colonial legacy.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.