The Müritzeum is located on the edge of the beautiful old town of Waren. The nature experience centre
offers an insight into the local animal and plant world on an exhibition area of over 2000 m². We visited the Müritzeum and I was thrilled by what was on offer on site.
From the spacious entrance area, one enters a dim round room. From here, other rooms open up, presenting the visitor with different thematic worlds.
A little indecisive at first, we spontaneously decide to explore the outside area and the “House of Collections” first.
Walk in the garden
We enter an area with shady trees and a large lake (Herrensee). Numerous seagulls are sitting and flying here and there is a lot of noise. The animals seem to be breeding and are loudly defending their nests, which are located in the middle of the lake on a small island. Visitors are not allowed here, but the seagulls don’t seem to know that and continue to make themselves heard.
Our way leads to the lake, which can be circumnavigated on a path. But we don’t get far. A swan is standing on the path, preening its feathers. Swan chicks swim in the water and as they leave the water, the swan defends its brood. It is almost impossible to get past here without biting a swan.
We retreat and choose a different route. Via the roof and the viewing terrace of the Müritzeum, we reach the other side of the lake. Here you can take a nice walk. I discover signs on some trees and bushes that tell me what kind of plant is growing there.
The path leads us to a large playground, which, in keeping with the water theme, is equipped with a large ship.
As the path from the playground would lead us past the swans again, we decide to rather go back the same way.
Visit to the House of Collections
Before we continue to discover what the Müritzeum has to offer, we first visit the “House of Collections”.
The old brick building stands in the garden of the Müritzeum. I feel a bit like I’m in an old school building with a porter’s lodge and large classrooms.
A huge red deer over 100 years old stands right at the entrance and at first only hints at what awaits us here.
We wander through the rooms, which contain a permanent exhibition appropriately named “Nature in the Collection Cabinet”. Here you can discover parts of the Natural History State Collection, which has been collected over many years. The exhibits show the flora and fauna of local nature. Research can be done in the research cabinet, the small and large treasures in the showcases and drawers are waiting to be discovered.
Nature lovers young and old will certainly get their money’s worth here; we definitely enjoyed the exhibition very much.
Müritzeum Waren- what you can discover
Back in the main building of the Müritzeum, we stand again in the large round room from which the rooms with the individual thematic focuses branch off.
First we enter the room with the theme of the forest. Here it is not only about the native trees, but also about the inhabitants of the forest. What I like very much are the many small stations that try to present the topic in as many different ways as possible. You can experience the Mecklenburg forest by seeing, hearing and touching. Simply great.
Another room is all about the bird life in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Here you can climb into a hot air balloon and discover the region from a bird’s eye view. I don’t feel quite so comfortable in the dummy balloon. Even when I’m standing on solid ground, my brain has trouble processing the image I’ve seen, which is displayed by great video productions below me, and I prefer to go to the concert hall of birds. Here I can listen to the different bird voices and assign them to bird species. But beware, there are also some strange voices that do not fit into the bird world at all.
I find the “Time Travel” area particularly exciting. The exhibition in this area provides information about how the Mecklenburg Lake District came into being. From the Ice Age and the lakes that remained after the ice melted to the changes that have taken place in modern times – an exciting topic that is presented in such a way that it is fun to explore.
The aquarium at the Müritzeum in Waren
Now that we have seen quite a lot, we go to the basement in the Müritzeum.
There are 26 aquarium tanks of different sizes. There are only animals and plants from the region to see. About 50 species of fish, crabs and mussels inhabit the tanks.
I was impressed by the almost 6-metre-high pool with a shoal of large whitefish. They shine slightly silvery and with every change of direction that the shoal makes, it seems as if the whole basin glitters.
At one of the pools I take a short break. The fish swimming almost motionless in the water looks almost like a plastic fish. But of course it’s not a plastic fish, it’s a huge pike that was caught by local fishermen and now lives in the aquarium.
Even though you can’t discover the dazzling and colourful splendour of South Sea fish here, the aquarium fascinated me a lot. I had little contact with the local fish world until now and was very surprised at how diverse it is. It’s great to have the opportunity to experience such a region.
Address:
Müritzeum
Zur Steinmole 1
17192 Waren (Müritz)
Parking is about a 5-minute walk away. If you are lucky, there is even free parking in front of the district administration office. But the parking fees at the Müritzeum car park are not particularly high.
Opening hours:
April-October
daily 10-19 h
November – March
daily 10-18 h
31.12. 10-15 h
01.01. 13-18 h
closed: 24.12.
Admission fees:
Adults 14,-€
Discounts are available.
Disclosure: We visited the Müritzeum Waren as part of a blogger trip to Mecklenburg Vorpommern. The report was written independently of our visit and reflects our impressions only.
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