The weather here has been great this weekend, well for saturday at least, and so I thought I would venture out of town. So where is it that all the city folk go when the weather is great? Lake Starnberg.
Lake Starnberg itself is over 20km long, so I had to be a little more precise. So I decided to visit the Buchheim Museum located right in the lake itself.
The Buchheim Museum, otherwise known as 'Museum of Imagination' is the home to the private collection of Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, the artist and author of the famous novel 'Das Boot'. It contains a curious array of paintings, sculpture and crafts all housed in an incredible modern structure specifically designed for the purpose by Gunter Behnisch, the Olympia Stadium architect.
As I passed through the trees that lined the grounds and had my first glimpse of the museum, I couldn't help but think of the words of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, 'I don't think I've ever seen a place so happily situated'. What an incredible view, down the sloping green to the museum, surrounded with gorgeous trees and overlooking the lake. I could have sat there for ages and admired it.
The next impression you get is that this may be a strange experience. Throughout the grounds there are odd metal and wood sculptures, which don't seem to relate to anything in particular. They are, however, strangely good.
Why have a simple lamp post, when you can have something constructed from what appears to be industrial waste?
Or how about a BMW? From first glance this looks like a rusted wreck, but the truth is far more spectacular. This sculpture of an Octopus invasion of a car, is incredibly constructed from various pieces of welded metal.
Or a near life size goal with a full team of footballers. Maybe if Liechtenstein had used this approach yesterday in their World Cup qualifier match against Germany, the 6-0 score line could have been different...
Inside, the exhibitions themselves were rather fascinating. No photos were allowed, however, so I can't show you the strange wooden people or the japanese 'where's wally' style paintings, or the collection of hundreds of glass paper weights - I get the feeling that Herr Buchheim was a bit of an eccentric.
It was actually quite difficult not to take any photos inside, particularly with some of the stunning views from within the building. The modern structure just seemed to have been designed to emphasis the artwork inside and at the same time beautifully display the incredible scenery around the building. Why oh why did I never study architecture!
I was reading an article in National Geographic this week, where a photographer was talking about souvenirs and how his photography has almost turned into looking for that perfect souvenir. As I walked around yesterday, I found myself taking picture after picture, in the hope that at least one of them could capture the beauty of where I was. I couldn't decide which picture captured it best, so here are a few for you to choose from.
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