A trip to the Museum

Last week I was fortunate enough to be a chaperone for T's class trip to the Altoschloss Museum. The Museum is inside the old palace of Stuttgart. The building itself is very pretty. We started the trip with a play "Pippi Longstocking" at one of the German Theaters.... it was very interesting watching a play in German. The kids loved it. The trip was for the host nation class and it is a great way to expose everyone to the languge and cultural intrest of our community.

 The musem is a treasure trove of artifacts. 

There is so much inside the building. All of the items are from the greater Stuttgart area.

 There is a wing that houses Roman artifacts.... Bad Constant one of the many communities that make up Stuttgart was a Roman settlement. 

The crown Jewels from Baden Wuttenburg's royal days are also housed here.

 I have to admit one favorite of mine was a fresco from the city of Pompeii..... ( it is a special exhibit and if my German were better I could have read about how it came to Stuttgart)

 The yellows and design were breath taking. It was not behind glass which was strange for me to be that close to it I could have touched it. I showed restraint I was a chaperone........ The colors were so vibrant. I remember one wing in the museum housed all different kinds of statues of the Virgin Mary.... they were also open and not behind glass there I was inches from a statue that was made in 1330. There were many statues ranging in age from the 1200's all the way to the 1700's.  

Another favorite was the lower level of the castle where we were able to see the ancient sarcophagus of some of the former German royalty. It was so fascinating to stand there and see these gorgeous carved marble sarcophagus'. I mean the ornate detail on these sculptural pieces were amazing. It is hard to imagine that they were made in the 1200's.... many of the kids thought it was strange that they would bury people in the basement..... The German gentleman at the exhibit was so nice he was explaining to the kids that they were just below what used to be the castle Chapel and that this was a way to be close to God and it was an honor to be here in the basement. However many 11 year old boys kept shaking there heads in disbelief. It was really cool to see the diversity of exhibits here and share a part of Stuttgart history.