A guide to children's animal exhibits in Munich.
Since April’s events are presided over by a rabbit, namely the Easter Bunny, what better time to introduce your kids to the animal world? Kids love furry creatures year ’round, so let’s have a look at nearby habitats. The zoo is, of course, the place to start. On Easter Sunday and Monday (April 4 and 5), Tierpark Hellabrunn’s egg hunt puts the customary backyard search to shame. With 20,000 eggs in the zoo’s basket, no one will go home empty-handed. Plus, participants have a chance to win prizes, such as a mountain bike, in a drawing. Once the egg-citement has ebbed, watch the wobbly legged lambs or feed the kid goats at the petting zoo. With a playground, pony rides, and new, ecologically sound enclosures, such as the lion and wildcats’ den that lets you get nose-to-nose close with the big cats, the zoo is more fun than ever. Tierpark Hellabrunn is open 9:00–17:00 daily, located at Siebenbrunner Str. 6; tel. 625 08 20. Admission: adults DM 10, children DM 5. To get there, take U3 to Thalkirchen or bus 52. What? You slept through the Easter Bunny’s visit? Sure, colorful, oval evidence of his arrival is scattered all over the place, but for real proof, visit Munich’s unique Easter Bunny Museum. With a collection of more than 1,000 pictures, ceramics and figures, it’s the biggest Bunny gathering in the world. Along with other unusual exhibits (such as pedal cars, corkscrews, locks, and chamber pots), you’ll find the Osterhasen Museum in the Zentrum für Außergewöhnliche Museen, Westenriederstr 41, tel. 290 41 21; open 10:00–18:00 daily. Admission: adults DM 8, children DM 5. Take any S-Bahn to Isartor or Marienplatz. For close encounters with game animals, take the kids to Wildpark Poing. There indigenous breeds roam in spacious enclosures. You can see deer, foxes, weasels, racoons, beavers, squirrels, mountain goats and wild boar at close range; some of the tamer critters will eat from your hand. Swans, pheasants and ducks gather at the pond. A playground provides a place for your own little wild things to jump and run while you relax in a picnic area to the accompaniment of bird song and breezes. Admission: adults DM 8, children DM 5. The bird sanctuary is open 9:00–17:00 daily and situated east of Munich between Poing and Markt Schwaben, off the A94 Autobahn, Parsdorf exit. Or take the S6 to Poing, then follow the signs (about 20 minutes on foot). Did you know that an elephant can outrun a person? To improve your animal knowledge, visit the Museum Mensch & Natur, which features exhibits on just about everything to do with natural sciences and the environment. Kids find the dinosaur bones just as cool as the computerized pop quizzes on animal lore. This museum offers innovative multimedia presentations on the animal realm as well as on the very complex species homo sapiens. The museum is located in the north wing of Nymphenburg palace. Take Tram 17 to Nördliche Auffahrtsallee. Admission DM 3 (Sundays free), children under 15 get in free. Hours are 9:00-17:00 daily; closed Mondays. At the Münchner Kinder-und Jugendfarm, kids can take an active part in animal care in a simulated farm setting. From grooming horses to mucking pig sties, repairing fences or building hutches and feeding chickens, city kids can adopt the country life for an afternoon. A regular crowd of anywhere from 30 to 100 farmhands devote lots of time and affection to some 65 animals. After the chores are done, or on inclement days, kids make crafts, play games, or brainstorm on how to improve “their” farm. In the week preceding Easter, coloring eggs is part of the fun, and, on Saturday, April 3 (noon) kids can find out where chickens laid and bunnies hid Easter eggs and treats. The farm is closed Easter Sunday and Monday, but special activities are planned for the Easter break. For information call 871 12 87; the Kinder-und-Jugendfarm (Wiesentfelserstr. 59) is open Tuesday to Friday afternoons from 13:30–18; Saturdays and school holidays from 10–18. Take the S-Bahn to Pasing, then bus 72 to Wiesentfelser Str. or from Neuaubing (S5), it’s a 15-minute walk from there.