Is this the Bao Bao that I saw at Berlin Zoo just a couple of years ago? I knew he died, but I didn;t realise he had reappeared on display so quickly. I found the Natural History Museum in Berlin particularly small (presumably due to the damage the city has sustained), are they actively building up the collection? What did you think of it FG?
It is. He features in an exhibition about Pandas featuring quite a few stuffed ones from different eras, including the recently deceased Yan Yan. She will be heading back to China six months after the exhibition started. There was quite a lot made here and elsewhere about Berlin's expertise in Taxidermy, and I do think it shows compared to a lot of specimens I've seen elsewhere. Overall the museum is enjoyable, but it does feel small. Compared, perhaps unfairly, to the Natural History Museum in London it can't help but underwhelm. I will say though that I don't think London, or indeed any museum I have visited, has an exhibit to match the Archaeopteryx fossil. This by itself easily justifies the entrance fee for anyone with an interest in zoology, paleontology or the history of science. At the moment only the ground floor is open, I assume it was the same during your visit?
Yes, I think just the ground floor was open, but even some of that seemed shut off, with some exhibits looking very temporary (ungulates in a corridor, mammoth in a stairwell, that sort of thing). The only part I distinctly remember as being impressive was the wet lab collection of specimens in jars, which was staggeringly vast. Their website suggests they are expanding and opening further sections, which should be a very good thing. I am probably also comparing it unfairly to some of Europe's larger Natural History Museums, as I had seen London and Vienna (and other smaller museums) in the months before I got to Berlin, so was expecting something along those lines.
Did you visit the NHM in Helsinki? It's quite small but very high quality. I spent a better two hours there than any I've spent in London's. Which is not to say that it is better overall but it would be a hell of a replacement for the Taxidermy Section.
No, did not visit the NHM in Helsinki, only had a few days there (Zoo, Tropicarium, fort island, standard city landmarks were the main things I saw). Some of the smallest museums are more enjoyable than the big ones, especially becuase there is less time pressure, allowing you to relax and take it all in (quality visit over a quantity visit I guess). One of my favourites was a small museum in the Swedish town of Vanersborg, which was spread over three levels, and included rooms dedicated to Swedish fauna, Ancient Egypt, Agriculture, Chinese porcelain, local history, and the world's largest collection of South-west African Birdlife (with a few mammals). Taxidermy not particularly impressive, but most specimens dated to the latter 1800s. Definitely wort a visit if you're ever in town!
