Egyptian Museum of Bonn University
Whenever we have a city card that allows entrance to many attractions, I always want to see as much as possible; despite trying to break this habit, it happened again in Bonn. Perhaps it was because of the inclement weather, but the idea of being inside museums was very appealing.
One of the museums that we hadn’t planned to go to but happened to be conveniently near when a shower passed overhead was the Egyptian Museum of Bonn University. It’s a three-minute walk from the Stadt Museum, which we had just visited, and we decided to stop in and check it out. As we had Bonn Welcome Cards, entrance was covered; otherwise a ticket costs €2.50.
From the entranceway of the beautiful university building where the museum is housed, signs lead you up a sweeping marble staircase to the first floor, and along a corridor lined with photos of archaeology digs. The corridor ends in a large room, which houses the museum.
I’d expected the exhibition to be bigger; perhaps I was influenced by their well-produced advertising. However, despite the small size, there was quite a lot to see. On the right we saw several animal mummies as well as human mummy boxes and other artefacts, while showcases on the right focused on academic study, with displays of pottery, wood, and bronze objects. At the back there was also a small display of items from private collections.
When we visited, a temporary exhibit in the centre of the room focussed on the topic of fakes and forgeries, with four showcases of imitations and contested items. This was a really interesting concept that I think should be addressed more — after all, creating replicas of ancient objects has been an industry for hundreds of years.
On the whole, I think the Egyptian Museum is worth a visit if you have a Bonn Card or are interested in specific items held in the collection. Otherwise, it’s quite small and since signs aren’t in English, you might not get too much out of a stop there.
[box]The Egyptian Museum can be visited with the Bonn Welcome Card.[/box]
