Kartoffelmuseum facts for kids
The Potato Museum (Das Kartoffelmuseum) was a special place in Munich, Germany. It was one of many museums around the world that focused on the amazing potato. This museum was unique because it mostly showed how potatoes have been shown in art. It closed its doors in 2016.
How the Museum Started
The Potato Museum first opened in 1996. It was created by the Otto Eckart Foundation. Otto Eckart was the son of Werner Eckart, who started the famous Pfanni food company. Pfanni made many products from potatoes. Otto Eckart owned the company until it was sold to Unilever. He wanted to share the history and art of the potato with others.
What You Could See at the Museum
The museum had a large collection of art that featured potatoes. This included many different types of artworks like oil paintings, watercolors, engravings, and drawings. It also had lithographs and other prints.
The museum had eight different rooms, each showing a different part of the potato's story:
- History: How the potato went from being a special plant in the Inca lands to a common food for everyone.
- Flowers, Plants, Tubers: Learning about the potato plant itself.
- Growing and Harvesting: How potatoes are grown and collected.
- Market Scenes: Pictures of potatoes being sold in markets.
- Amazing Potato: Showing all the different ways potatoes can be used.
- Rare Collection: Unique and special potato-related items.
- Food for Everyone: How potatoes became an important food, especially for people who didn't have much money.
- Modern Art Gallery: Potato art from more recent times.
In 2006, the museum added a new section. This part showed the history of the Pfanni brand. It covered the years from 1949 to 1999, explaining how the company grew.
Why the Museum Closed
The Potato Museum was located in a building called the "Eckhaus." This building was part of the old Pfanni factory in Grafinger Strasse, where potato products were made. In March 2016, the museum started getting ready to move. However, it never reopened. By November 2018, the museum's website said it was temporarily closed. It has not reopened since then.
