Special Exhibition 2023
Hunting: The Art of the Chase
Hunting is as fascinating as it is controversial. It is part of the complex web of relationships between people and animals and remains a living tradition in mountain regions. But the feelings it elicits in society are ambivalent. Although humans have hunted animals for food since prehistoric times, many people think that hunting is no longer appropriate in our day and age. We have lost touch with how our food ends up on our plates.
The exhibition focuses on hunting as a social practice handed down through many centuries. Hunters from the mountains tell their stories of the chase, allowing visitors to accompany them vicariously on the hunt. They share their knowledge and their activities, talking about animals, terrain, the right moment to take a shot, and how to prepare the meat. Two photographic projects by Anne Golaz and Alex Ochsner provide an artistic perspective on the art of the chase.
The special exhibition is shown from 14 May to 15 Ocotber in the Granary Hall at Landshut Castle in Utzenstorf.
Special exhibitions in recent years (archive)
«Beautiful Ladies, Noble Gentlemen - Thüring von Ringoltingen, Melusina & Co.»
After last year's special exhibition gave us an excellent introduction to the legend surrounding the beautiful Melusina and - via the first illustrated Basel print of 1473/74 - to the period of the late Middle Ages in general, this year's exhibition focuses on the life of the translator and Lord of Landshut Castle Thüring von Ringoltingen and the political and cultural conditions in 15th century Bern.
An extended biography introduces us to the life of Thüring von Ringoltingen (around 1415-around 1483) and we can familiarise ourselves with Bernese history and find answers to questions such as: What is a Twingherr and what are his rights and duties? What was the so-called Twingherrenstreit actually about?
We are in the second half of the 15th century in a time of upheaval and change. The invention of printing by Johannes Gutenberg revolutionised the distribution of literature. The first printing of the Melusina novel from the pen of Thüring von Ringoltingen contributed significantly to the enormous popularity of the material.
It is interesting to note that printed and handwritten books and texts coexisted almost equally until after 1500. The exhibition demonstrates this with the beautifully illustrated paper manuscript of the "Bernese Parzival". Wolfram von Eschenbach wrote the famous Grail story about Parzival and the legendary Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur between 1200 and 1210.
Like the Melusina story, this novel was also copied and printed many times. The Bern councillor Jörg Friburger, a fellow councillor of Thüring von Ringoltingen, had the Parzival novel copied and illustrated in a Constance writing workshop around 1467. This manuscript is now kept in the Burgerbibliothek Bern. A comparison between the first printing of the Melusina story and the Parzival manuscript is worthwhile.
A rich accompanying programme with guided tours and lectures rounds off the exhibition, and we encounter again the mystery of the beautiful Melusina in Susi Fux's enchanting musical puppet theatre.
The special exhibition is shown from 8 May to 16 October 2022 in the Granary Hall at Landshut Castle in Utzenstorf.
Please note that the exhibition is in German.
Castle / Park
Landshut Castle Foundation
Schlossstrasse 17
CH-3427 Utzenstorf
Switzerland
T +41 (0)32 665 40 27
Museum / Guided tours
Swiss Museum of Wildlife and Hunting
Schlossstrasse 17
CH-3427 Utzenstorf
Switzerland
T +41 (0)32 665 40 27
Hunting library
Swiss Hunting Library
Schlossstrasse 17
CH-3427 Utzenstorf
Switzerland
T +41 (0)32 665 14 82
Exhibitions supervised by:
T +41 (0)31 350 72 88