Museums, zoos and amusement parks feature fun for all

Story and photos by Karl Weisel

U.S. Army Garrison Hessen Public Affairs Office

Looking for a way to get the children out of the house? Several nearby attractions offer fun ways to spend the day with entertainment, a little exercise and even some education to boot.

Darmstadt Landesmuseum

Whether your interest is art or science, history or music, you’re sure to find something to capture your interest at Hessen’s state museum in Darmstadt. Unlike many museums which specialize in one subject, the Landesmuseum is a showcase of everything from handicrafts to modern art, the evolution of life on the planet to stained glass from the Middle Ages to the present.

Children will especially appreciate the cases and cases of stuffed animals, many of which once or still populate this region of Germany. The last wolf to be found in Hessen is featured in one case. In other displays are everything from colorful butterflies to exotic birds, huge beetles to a host of reptiles.

A series of life-size dioramas gives one an idea of the various animals that populate different regions around the globe. Animal anomalies such as the skeleton of a squirrel with two complete bodies seem to hold a strange fascination for younger museum visitors.

But animal life is only one small part of the large collection featured. On the top floors of the museum those who appreciate paintings and sculpture through the ages will find a treasure trove of artwork. Everything from Andy Warhols to works by Peter Paul Rubens, Joseph Beuys and Paul Klees are featured.

A recent addition to the permanent exhibition is a sculpture collection donated by long-time Swiss collector Simon Spierer. Rarely does one have the opportunity to stroll through such a complete assortment of notable 20th century work gathered together in three rooms. Works by Constantin Brancusi, Alberto Giacometti and Henry Moore share space with sculptures by Max Ernst, Jean Arp and Auguste Rodin.

A variety of fossils unearthed in nearby Messel, archeological finds from the Greeks and Romans, historical musical instruments, art noveau handicrafts, mummies and wooly mammoths round out the multifaceted collection.

The Landesmuseum is located near the Herrengarten Park in the center of Darmstadt at Friedensplatz (behind the Schloss). It is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is €2.50 for adults, €1 for children or €5 for a family ticket. There is no admission charged after 4 p.m. and from 3-8 p.m. on Wednesdays.

For more information about the museum call civ (06151) 132 902 or visit www.hlmd.de.

Captive but wild

If you’d rather be outside on a summer’s day two nearby animal parks offer a chance to picnic, explore the wildlife and stroll through forested areas.

The Wildpark Alte Fasanerie, located by Hanau in Klein-Auheim, features several kilometers of wooded trails past expansive animal enclosures containing everything from wolves to European bison, herons to lynxes. This time of year visitors will still notice a host of young striped wild boar, fawns, bison calves and wolf cubs among the older animal population.

The park, founded as a hunting preserve by Mainz Archbishop Lothar Franz von Schönborn in 1710, today serves as a protected area for a wide variety of animals now or once native to the area.

As feeding time approaches near one fenced-in area, wolves begin to drift in from among the trees. Nearby in another forested enclosure, lynxes crouch in the brush keeping wary eyes on visitors near their fence boundary.

Youngsters will enjoy feeding the tamer residents. Animal feed is available for €1 a bag, and visitors are invited to get to know the deer, goats and mountain cattle — but signs warn not to get too close to the wild boar.

A small forestry museum and picnic tables are also situated in the Wildpark. A restaurant just outside the main entrance, a former hunting lodge, features various dishes and a beer garden in warmer weather.

The Wildpark is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through September and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. October through March. Entrance is €3.50 for adults, €2 for children age 4-14.

The park is located in the wooded area near Klein-Auheim. Signs directing visitors to the parking area just outside the front entrance lead drivers from B-43a, about a half a kilometer north of the Hanau exit off of Autobahn 3.

For more information about the park visit www.erlebnis-wildpark.de.

Königstein and the Opel Zoo

A scenic drive past castles and medieval villages from Wiesbaden along Highway 455 takes one to the town of Königstein (with its impressive castle ruins) and the Opel Zoo.

The castle, built in the 12th century by the lords of Müzenberg, frequently serves as the site of jousting tournaments, concerts and other events. Young people will enjoy exploring the dark passageways underneath the castle, the various chambers and towers.

While the Opel Zoo may not be the largest of its kind in Europe, the animal sanctuary does feature its share of exotic animals from elephants to giraffes, a huge playground and picnic area, camel rides and a petting zoo.

The zoo is located along the same highway between Königstein and Falkenstein/Kronberg (direction Bad Homburg).

The Opel Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer months. Admission is €8 for adults and €5.50 for children age 2-14.

Visit www.opel-zoo.de for more details.

Lochmühle amusement park

Do-it-yourself rides, giant slides, trampolines and a petting zoo are the main attractions at the Freizeitpark Lochmühle, located between Friedberg and Frankfurt in the Taunus Mountains. Pedal-powered helicopters, giant carpet slides and pole-powered rafts invite youngsters for a day of fun in the sun.

Situated a couple of kilometers down the mountain from the Roman Saalburg Fortress north of Bad Homburg, the Lochmühle is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October. Admission is €8 for adults, €5.50 for children between the sizes of 90 and 120 centimeters tall.

To drive to the Lochmühle take Autobahn 5 to the Friedberg/Friedrichsdorf exit, head toward Friedrichsdorf and then turn right toward Usingen/Wehrheim (signs indicate the Lochmühle).