This article highlights some of the most important hunting museums.
1. Museum of Hunting and Nature in Paris
The Museum of Hunting and Nature is a private museum located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. Opened to the public in 1967, the museum is housed in the prestigious Hôtel de Guénégaud. Since 2002, following an extensive renovation, it has also extended into the Hôtel de Mongelas.
Considered one of the most remarkable museums in Paris, the Museum of Hunting and Nature presents an extraordinary collection organized around three main themes:
– weapons and hunting accessories, including a wide range of weapons from the 16th century to the present day, such as spears, crossbows and pistols;
– hunting exhibits, including hundreds of trophies and mounted animals from Europe, Africa, Asia and America;
– paintings and sculptures, including outstanding works of contemporary art and pieces by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Frans Snyders and Jean-Baptiste Oudry.
HUNTING MUSEUMS
2. Wolfsthurn Castle in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Castel Mareta is a Baroque-style castle located on a hill above Mareta (Mareit), a village in the South Tyrolean municipality of Racines. The museum exhibition focuses on historical and cultural themes and popular art. It provides historical and cultural information about game, hunting and fishing. The castle is connected to the village by the “Bosco e acqua” path, a one-kilometre walk.
HUNTING MUSEUMS
3. Schloss Stainz in Austria
Stainz Castle, with its Baroque church, enhances the beauty of Eastern Styria’s hilly landscape and houses two museums belonging to the Universalmuseum Joanneum: the Hunting Museum and the Agriculture Museum. Picnic days are also offered, providing spectacular views of the castle and a guided tour of the exhibitions.
HUNTING MUSEUMS
4. Museum of Hunting and Fishing in Munich, Germany
One area houses various mounted animals that visitors can touch. For some specimens, visitors can hear a recording of the animal’s call and even experience its scent.
You can also admire an exceptional collection of antique weapons, paintings, engravings, drawings, Bohemian glass, porcelain and numerous precious objects.
The fishing museum holds one of the largest known collections of fishing equipment. On the second floor, there is a presentation of all freshwater fish species, including some specimens of exceptional size.
The Fishing Museum traces the development of fishing and its equipment through the centuries, from its origins to the present day. A diorama illustrates the many varieties of freshwater fish, as well as specimens of species that have since disappeared.
HUNTING MUSEUMS