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Why on earth do these 8 weird German museums exist?

Visited all of the usual tourist hot spots and now looking for something a little more niche? Take a look through our list of the quirkiest museums Germany has to offer.

Published: 22 March 2017 14:53 CET

Why on earth do these 8 weird German museums exist?

An exhibit at the Clown Museum, Leipzig. Photo: DPA

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1. Pig Museum, Stuttgart

The museum's 'biggest' piece of art on display. Photo: DPA.

The Schweine Museum in Stuttgart claims to be the largest pig museum in the world. Inside, you can feast your eyes on a porky 23 rooms worth of piggy paraphernalia.

The collection was originally started by a lady called Erika Wilhelmer and is today displayed in three stories of the old slaughterhouse in Stuttgart.

The main focus of the museum is the cooking, mythology and history of pigs. But you can even get married here!

Once you’ve worked up an appetite taking in more swine than you will ever see again in your life, you can enjoy a pork-based meal in the restaurant-cafe.

Just one of the many pig figurines to be found at the Stuttgart museum. Photo: DPA

2. German Additive Museum, Hamburg

Photo: DPA

Do you really know what you’re eating?

Under the motto “additives belong in a museum, not in food,” this museum spreads information regarding the function, manufacturing, risks and side effects of the additives in our food.

Dropping the bombshell that many additives do not have to be declared on food packaging, and that even organic foods are allowed to include additives, this museum will destroy any faith you had in your control over your food.

But can this undoubtedly interesting topic be stretched out into a whole museum?

3. Potato Museum, Munich

Photo: DPA

Claiming to be the only museum in the world dedicated to presenting the potato through the lens of art and art history, eight themed rooms take you through the life of the potato, from its employment as a currency to its multi-faceted food uses.

The museum also hosts a collection of books from the Otto Eckart Foundation, which document the historical importance of the potato.

4. Easter Egg Museum, Sonnenbühl, Baden-Württemberg

Photo: DPA

This unique find explores the historical intertwining of eggs with Easter, and of course displays Easter eggs of all shapes, designs and sizes, both natural and made from porcelain.

From the beautifully intricate and tasteful to displaying the brash logos of well-known brands, these eggs surely are a feast for the eyes.

The collection was created by women from Sonnenbühl-Erpfingen in 1980, from which the museum was born in 1993.

5. Lipstick Museum, Berlin

René Koch posing with some of his collection. Photo: DPA

Make-up artist René Koch opened this museum as a way to show off his private collection of lipsticks, as well as posters and cosmetic formulas from baroque times to the present. The museum also includes films from the post-war period to today.

Adding a touch of celebrity to the exhibit, you can also revel at the kiss marks of stars such as 1970s-80s Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler and German cabaret artist Ute Lemper. Plus visitors can pick up some expert tips on how best to apply their lipstick.

6. Clown Museum, Leipzig

Museum owner Hans-Dieter Hormann with three of his many figurines. Photo: DPA

Okay, so this one actually sounds pretty fascinating.

Clowns were expelled from the theatre of famous German director Caroline Neuber in Leipzig in 1737. In 2007, they retaliated, forming a clown association and a museum.

In an attempt to support clowns, this museum provides a home to more than 3,000 clown figurines from around the world, 350 circus posters, film recordings, costumes, newspaper articles, clown marionettes, and indeed “many gifts from famous clowns”.

7. Mustard Grinder Museum, Cologne

The mustard grinder in Cochem. Photo: DPA

Boasting to have the oldest mustard grinders in the world, this museum can actually be found in two locations, one being in Cologne and the other in the small town of Cochem in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Each museum has one grinder, both manufactured in 1810. And after restoration, they are still used to make mustard today under the motto “quality not quantity”.

If you are asking who on earth would create a museum around a single object, the clue might be in the shop which adjoins the museum, where you can buy rather pricey “historical mustard.”

8. German Bee Museum, Weimar

Photo: DPA

Do you know who Ferdinand Gerstung and August Ludwig were? That knowledge gap is about to be filled. The astute pair noticed the glaring need for a bee museum way back in 1910.

Renovated in 2002, the museum exhibits everything you need to know about the biology of bees, the history of beekeeping, as well as present-day apiculture (for those of you who don’t know, that’s the fancy word for beekeeping).

Nine hip-hop tracks that will help you learn German

In fact, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that listening to hip-hop in German will boost your German language abilities tenfold.

Ok, so while that might not technically be entirely (read: at all) true, we reckon Jane Austen would have appreciated many German rappers’ way with words.

And with most clearly enunciating their words, and the rhythmic delivery helping with phrasing, the genre is a gift for language learners: it can help you get to grips with new words, sentence patterns and pronunciation, as well as gain an understanding of current phenomena.

We’ve chosen a selection of German hip-hop tracks – including some old-school gems – that are reasonable easy to understand, as well as a couple for more advanced learners who want to get to grips with the finer nuances of the language and word play.

Here are some songs to get you started.

Die Fantastischen Vier – Die Da

You can’t have an article about German hip hop without mentioning Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four, often known as Die Fanta’ 4). Germany’s answer to the Beastie Boys, this Stuttgart band basically kicked off the German hip-hop scene in the late 80s and they’re still going today.

The catchy Die Da!? (Her over there!?) was a tongue-in-cheek hit in 1992 and we love it because the band’s clear articulation makes it easy to understand. Yes, it’s a bit silly – it’s about women the band are interested in, but spoiler: it ends up being the same woman – but it’s packed full of useful German slang.

Want to test your knowledge of German abbreviations? Check out their mfg (Mit freundlichen Grüssen, With best wishes)

Fettes Brot – Jein

Still on an old-school hip-hop vibe, Fettes Brot were a big part of the Hamburg scene.

‘Jein’ – a pleasing amalgamation of Ja and Nein was a big hit in the early 90s. Again, the delivery is clear, they rap slowly and the text is pretty straightforward. Here’s the chorus, for example:

Soll ich’s wirklich machen oder lass ich’s lieber sein / Jein / Ja, ja, oder nein /
Shall I really do it or would it be better to leave it / Jein / Yes, yes, or no

Perfect for the indecisive.

And for a taster of Hamburg dialect, have a listen to Nordisch by Nature.

One of the founder members Der Tobi later got together with another big name on the Hamburg scene – das Bo – and together with marcnesium and DJ Coolmann, they formed cheeky band Fünf Sterne Deluxe. Check out ‘Willst du mit mir geh’n‘ (Do you want to be my boyfriend/girlfriend?)

Mudi – Kind sein

The German rapper with Turkish and Lebanese roots is known for his storytelling that touches on key cultural issues. There’s less wordplay here and he raps slowly and clearly so, even for less confident German learners, the text is quite easy to understand (although some of his songs have a bit of Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish in them).

In 2016’s ‘Kind sein’ (being a child), he raps about feeling nostalgic for his childhood and the context makes it a breeze to put any new vocab into context.

He raps about missing the days when he was klein und so sorgenlos (small and so carefree) in contrast to now where heute sind die Sorgen gross / Krieg, der in den Herzen tobt (today the worries are great / war that rages in our hearts).

Cro – Ein Teil

Arguably more pop than rap (Cro himself calls the mixture raop), Cro is a pretty big deal in Germany.

‘Ein Teil’ is a great starter song as the lyrics are straightforward and it’s quite repetitive, helping with understanding and pronunciation. And while Cro mumbles a bit on some of his other tracks (he tends to eat some of his word endings), he’s quite clear on this track.

(And if you see him live, his penchant for wearing a panda mask on stage doesn’t necessarily help matters). Here’s a section of the refrain that’s repeated throughout:

Du bist und bleibst für immer ein Teil von mir

You are and will always be a part of me

Freundeskreis – A-N-N-A

More known for their socially conscious lyrics, the 90s/00s Stuttgart group had a hit with this slightly soppy but very catchy track.

Immer wenn es regnet / muss ich an dich denken / wie wir uns begegnet sind / und kann mich nicht ablenken

Whenever it rains / I have to think of you / How we met / I can’t stop thinking about it

Group member Max Herre also went on to have success as a solo artist and that’s also worth a listen. Try 1ste Liebe.

S. Castro – Krieger

For something with a more aggressive flow, try S. Castro.

His strong rhythmic delivery in this 2012 battle rap (Krieger means warrior) makes the lyrics fairly easy to understand.

The politically conscious rapper with Kurdish roots uses his raps to expose oppressive aspects of society and the system so there’s plenty of cultural insights to be gained too.

Deichkind – Leider Geil

This one – which translates as ‘unfortunately cool’ – really took off in the noughties with people describing everything as ‘leider geil’ for a while. It’s a really easy one to understand, too as it’s all in the present tense and the Hamburg group rap slowly and clearly.

Here’s a sample:

Es tut mir leid, doch ich muss leider gestehen / Es gibt Dinge auf der Welt, die sind (leider geil) / Autos machen Dreck, Umwelt geht kaputt / Doch ‘ne fette neue Karre ist (leider geil)

I’m sorry, but I’ve got to admit it, unfortunately / There are things in the world that are (unfortunately cool) / Cars are dirty, the environment’s going to hell / But getting an awesome new ride is (unfortunately cool)

Sabrina Setlur – Du liebst mich nicht

Setlur started out in the 90s and was one of the first German female rappers to achieve commercial success – this song went to number one.

Combining hard rap with a sung chorus, ‘You don’t love me’ is a heartfelt attack against a partner who doesn’t love her any more. Perfect for anyone who wants to improve their heartbreak vocab in German.

For a time her rap success was overshadowed by her then-relationship with Boris Becker, but her songs stand the test of time.

This one has since been covered by Ado Kojo featuring Hamburg-based rapper Shirin David.

Bodo Wartke – Barbaras Rhabarberbar

And we couldn’t not include this one. Rapper and cabaret performer Bodo Wartke achieved viral TikTok fame with this tongue-twister that tells the increasingly ludicrous tale of Barbara and her rhubarb bar.

As well as inspiring a dance, the catchy rap also sparked a huge interest in learning German which can never be a bad thing.

Wartke and friend and rapper Matti Fischer both have super-clear pronunciation. Plus it’s a great track for learning how easy it is to make compound nouns in German.

This is obviously just a selection, there are plenty more great hip-hop songs to help you with your German. Have we missed any of your favourites – let us know in the comments!

And if you want to see the lyrics while you listen to the songs, most texts are available on Genius.com and Songtexte.com.

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