Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting (SMWH)

The Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting (SMWH) is a simple partnership under Swiss law, with the Civic Community of Bern [Burgergemeinde Bern] and the Society Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting [Gesellschaft Schweizer Museum für Wild und Jagd] as partners.

The museum is intended to “display, in particular, the way of living and the needs of native animals and game, their origin and their meaning in Switzerland” (Art. 3.2 Agreement between the Civic Community of Bern BGB and the Society Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting).

Address

Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting
Landshut Castle
Schlossstrasse 17
CH-3427 Utzenstorf
Switzerland

Involved partners

The Landshut Castle Foundation. This is a legally independent foundation in the meaning of Art. 80 et seq. Swiss Civil Code with headquarters in Utzenstorf. Its purpose according to Art. 1, among others, is the maintenance and care of Landshut Moated Castle in terms of monument preservation.

The Civic Community of Bern. This manages the Natural History Museum as a Civic Community department and “increases awareness, therewith, of nature and environment and awakens a sense of responsibility thereof among people” (Art. 2.1, regulation of 24/10/1990).

The Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting Society. The society was established in 1956 under the name “Association for the Promotion of the Swiss Museum of Hunting and Wildlife Protection and its Heidegg Castle Endeavours”. The association, which changed its name in 1996 to “Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting Society”, aims to develop and support the Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting” (Statutes of 10 June 1996, Art. 2).

Contracts

The 1967 agreement and the contract of loan for use between the Civic Community of Bern and the Canton of Bern (later the Landshut Castle Foundation) regulate the use of the castle’s facilities and spaces, provided on behalf of the Foundation by the Natural History Museum to the Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting.

The agreement of 1 November 1990 between the Civic Community of Bern and the museum of Swiss Wildlife and Hunting regulates the cooperation and the financial compensation of the Society toward the Civic Community.

The contracts of loan for use between private lenders and the Civic Community of Bern regulate the museum's responsibilities toward both the special collections provided by said lenders and their presentations in the spaces of the museum.

Responsible Bodies

• Landshut Castle Foundation: nine members of the Foundation Council
• Civic Community of Bern: seven members of the Natural History Museum Commission.
• Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting: seven members of the Museum Committee
• Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting Society: Executive Board with ten members

Financing

Financial support, planning and a large part of the expenditures for the renewal of the exhibitions of the Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting were and are maintained through the Civic Community of Bern. In addition, the Civic Community finances the provision of special exhibitions, the expenditures for security systems and insurance for the collections as well as a large part of the public relations work.

The Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting Society pays the Civic Community of Bern a set annual contribution of its expenditures. Furthermore, it provides exhibits, which are either on loan or as a gift, for display. In a large PR campaign in 1997/98, the Society raised a sum of CHF 600'000.- and made it available to the Museum to implement the new exhibition concept.

Collection Items

The Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting does not own any of the collections. The objects presented in the exhibitions are made available through:

• the Natural History Museum of the Civic Community of Bern
• the Museum of Swiss Wildlife and Hunting Society;
• other institutions
• private lenders

Personnel

The Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting does not maintain its own employees, rather, services are rendered by its contracted partners.

The Landshut Castle Foundation: management, castle security, housekeeping, architect, gardeners and other staff as needed.

The Civic Community of Bern: scientific and administrative employees, designers, carpenters, taxidermists and other
staff as needed.

The Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting Society: librarian for the Hunting Library.

Personnel for guided tours are employed through the Foundation and the Natural History Museum Bern.