Brehm-Gedenkstätte

The museum Brehms Welt – Tiere und Menschen stands in Renthendorf, a village in the Thüringen hills. It occupies the former homes and workrooms of the Brehm family, two generations of naturalists. Frieda Poeschmann, Alfred Brehm’s daughter, opened the memorial in 1946 with just two rooms. Over the decades the site grew into a full museum, restored and enlarged by successive directors such as Willi Beer and Edgar Wolf. In 2012 the building closed briefly for repairs, then reopened in 2020 as a modern exhibition space while keeping its historic setting. The collection centres on the lives and work of Christian Ludwig Brehm and his son Alfred Edmund Brehm. Visitors see original furniture, letters, books and travel souvenirs that belonged to the family. More than two thousand handwritten pages by the Brehms form the heart of the archive. The museum also displays bird specimens prepared by Christian Ludwig and a wide range of animal models. Nearby, the village churchyard holds the Brehm family graves. Inside the house the permanent display recreates a 19th-century household where research and daily life mingled. Exhibits include letters, diaries and photographs that trace the family’s travels and studies. Outside, the church and its graveyard sit just a few steps away, offering quiet space to reflect on the Brehms’ legacy.