A museum like a time capsule
Tall display cases fill the rooms of Missiemuseum Steyl. The displays have remained unchanged since 1934. Thousands of objects are arranged by country and type. This gives you a glimpse of how the museum and its collection were presented in the past.
In the ethnographic section, you will find objects from China, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Togo, Congo and Paraguay, among other countries. The collection includes art and everyday objects, items from different religions and Christian art from other parts of the world.
From butterflies to giraffes
The natural history collection also takes up a large part of the museum. Here you can see taxidermied mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish. At the centre of the museum is a group of animals including a giraffe, antelopes, cattle, lions and zebras.
The insect collection contains tropical butterflies, beetles, scorpions, spiders and other insects. They were originally collected for science, education and trade, as well as for their appearance.
Meet Joseph the bear
One striking resident of the museum is Joseph, a 1.75-metre-tall brown bear from Russia. Brother Berchmans, the first curator of Missiemuseum Steyl, bought him in 1932 from a company in Leipzig that specialised in taxidermied animals with mechanical features. Insert a coin and Joseph starts to move and shows you his tricks. What exactly does he do? You will find out when you stand in front of him.
If you want to find out more about activities during the holidays or buy a ticket in advance, visit the Missiemuseum Steyl website. The Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted.