Das Kartoffelmuseum - Potato Museum, Munich

​What do we know about the potato? It was introduced to us by Columbus (in fact, by Cieza de Leon); the part of the potato plant that grows above the ground can not be eaten, while the underground part of the plant is what you want. It also serves a side dish for many meals and as food for the poor people.

Well,there are rabid potato fans who have dedicated their lives to the study of potatoes and even created a potato museum. Das Kartoffelmuseum is an institution funded by the counsil Otto Eckart, which holds a variety of vision and materials on the topic of potatoes. There are oil- and watercolor paintings, drawings, lithographs, prints, paintings on glass and modern graphics that relate to potatoes, or those products that are made from them. You can also get to know the botanical aspect of the potatoes' flowers, plants and tubers, find out how potatoes grow, how they are harvested, see some depictions of funny scenes in the kitchen, as well as rarities, curiosities and proclamations. You can learn the various names of potatoes in different languages: krumpli, grulev, baraburka, potatoes, boryshka, bulba, burka, barabolya, gadaburka, mandyburka and repa, and surprise your peers or your loved ones with your vast knowledge on the subject when you dine together.

The Potato museum is divided into eight sections: history (from the Incas to the decorative plant to a fancy royal dish to a simple vegetable for the simple folk), botanical passions (plants, color, nodulation), planting and harvesting (peasant scenes from the last three centuries), market scenes (potato menus, snack tables), multi-talented potatoes (cud-bears, paper and textile industries), the cabinet of rarities (art and kitsch), royal dishes and food for the poor, and the gallery of modern times.

The museum also has a large collection of books - historical encyclopedia (from scientific writings to cookbooks) that document potato's way from being a decorative plant to a consumed vegetable. The Potato Museum opened its doors in April 1996. The brochure notes that this is the only museum in the world that reveals the theme of art and cultural and historical life of a potato to the fullest.

Gallery: Das Kartoffelmuseum - Potato Museum, Munich