Kartoffelmuseum facts for kids
The Potato Museum (known as Das Kartoffelmuseum in German) is a special museum in Munich, Germany. It's one of only three museums in Germany dedicated to the potato! This museum focuses on how potatoes have been shown in art throughout history.
It first opened its doors in 1996. The museum was created by the Otto Eckart Foundation. Otto Eckart used to own a famous food company called Pfanni, which made many potato products. His father, Werner Eckart, started the company. Otto Eckart was also an Honorary Consul for Guatemala, which means he helped represent that country in Germany.
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What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has a huge collection of art. This includes many different types of paintings and prints. You can see oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and even old engravings. There are also lithographs, modern graphics, and unique reverse glass paintings.
Besides the art, the museum also has a special library. This library is full of books and information about potatoes. It's used by scientists and researchers who want to learn more about this amazing plant.
Where Was the Museum Located?
Until March 2016, the Potato Museum was in a building called the "Eckhaus." This building was part of the old Pfanni factory in Munich. The factory used to make all sorts of potato foods there.
In March 2016, the museum started getting ready to move. As of November 2018, the museum's website says it is temporarily closed. There isn't any information yet about when it might open again.
Exploring the Potato's Story
Before it closed, the museum had eight different rooms. Each room told a part of the potato's story:
- History: This section showed how potatoes went from being a special food for the Inca Empire to a common food for everyone.
- Flowers, Plants, Tubers: Here, you could learn about the potato plant itself, from its beautiful flowers to the tubers we eat.
- Cultivation and Harvesting: This part explained how potatoes are grown and collected from the fields.
- Market Scenes: You could see how potatoes were sold in markets through different artworks.
- Multi-Talent Potato: This section highlighted all the different ways potatoes can be used.
- Rare Collection: This room displayed unique and special items related to potatoes.
- Fattening Food and Poor People Eating: This part looked at how potatoes became a main food source, especially for people who didn't have much money.
- Gallery of Modern Art: This section featured modern art inspired by potatoes.
The Pfanni Museum
In 2006, the Potato Museum added a new section. It was called the Pfanni Museum. This part of the museum told the story of the famous Pfanni brand. It showed how the company grew from 1949 to 1999.
