Bronze of the "Bundesgiraffe" on board the MS Wissenschaft

The Museum Koenig in Bonn is a natural history museum and at the same time a historically significant PLACE OF DEMOCRATIC HISTORY: after the end of the dictatorship of the National Socialists in the Third Reich, the opening ceremony of the Parliamentary Council took place in the atrium of the museum on 1 September 1948 - the birth of today's Basic Law. The taxidermied animals had to make way for the event - including two giraffes that Alexander Koenig had brought back from his expeditions to Africa. But what was to happen to these large animals? How and why they "watched" the opening of the Parliamentary Council, how they got their special name and much more - exhibit no. 17 "Contemporary animal witnesses" tells the story. The small bronze sculpture of the seated, female "Federal Giraffe" was created in the early 1930s. It can be seen on board the MS Wissenschaft in Germany until mid-September and then in Austria until 3 October. The two "federal giraffes" are an integral part of the permanent exhibition "Savannah - a changing paradise" at the LIB's Museum Koenig Bonn.

We look forward to welcoming you on board the "MS Wissenschaft": in Bonn we will be there in person from 21 - 23 August at the KD Landebrücke, Brassertufer. In addition, we will be offering free guided tours on history, the "Ask the Federal Giraffe" campaign and film screenings during the docking week at Museum Koenig Bonn. Curious? Take a look at our calendar of events.