Museum Diary

Last weekend, we thought we’d do something we have been meaning to do for the past few years but never gotten round to because transport was always too complicated – visit the Advent Market at the Domäne Dahlem, a working farm and museum in one of Berlin’s suburbs. Now that we’ve moved house, we discovered it was just a direct train ride away! First we walked around the stalls, which were much as you would expect from any Christmas market, but, unlike the ones at […]

With this beautiful Peruvian nativity scene from the Museum of European Cultures in Berlin, I would like to wish all my readers a very happy Christmas! Museum Diary will be taking a little break over the holidays and be back for you in the new year! Meanwhile, you can always stop by and say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for reading Museum Diary!

These days, there’s a museum for everything, and Christmas is no exception. With just a few weeks to go until the big day, I’ve pulled together some of the world’s best museums to put you in the Christmas spirit. 1. Deutsches Weihnachtsmuseum (Germany) Germany is well known for its traditional Christmas decorations, such as nutcrackers and wooden pyramids, and some of our best loved customs like the Christmas tree developed there too. So it seems logical that Germany would have a Christmas Museum. At the Deutsches Weihnachtsmuseum […]

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you’re all enjoying the holidays. Here’s a little playlist I put together for you :) Track listing: Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas – The Eels Have I Got a Present for You – Toby Keith Santa’s Beard – They Might Be Giants Christmas Was Better in the 80s – The Futureheads I Want an Alien for Christmas – Fountains of Wayne Elf’s Lament – Barenaked Ladies Christmas Song – Cowcube To Heck With Ole Santa Claus – Loretta Lynn The […]

Only a few more sleeps to go until Christmas. Museum Diary will be taking a little break over the holidays, but before I sign off I wanted to share a very special exhibition with you, which is seasonally quite fitting. The focal point of “Sterne über Bethanien” at the Museum Europäischer Kulturen is the fabulous nativity scene from the Deaconesses’ Home Bethanien in Berlin Kreuzberg. Measuring over 4 metres wide in total, and with over 60 beautifully carved figurines, the nativity scene tells the story of […]

The shops have been selling chocolate Santas and Lebkuchen since August, or so it seems, but this weekend the pre-Christmas festivities starts for real. I have to confess I am a huge fan of Advent, as you may have guessed by my last post. Who isn’t? Christmas itself always seems like almost a bit of an anti-climax after weeks of crafting, baking, mulled wine and hot roast chestnuts, Christmas markets and carol singing. So it’s going to get a little bit festive here around Museum […]