Zoology Sub-Collection
History of the Sub-Collection
This sub-collection was created in late 2015. A creation of a specialised zoology sub-collection follows the original intention of the museum’s founders who hoped to map the Central European fauna in its entire extent, i.e. not only the game species. In accordance with this idea, the museum had gradually created an extensive collection of fauna, mainly of Czech origin but in part also from other Central European countries. Especially with respect to birds, this sub-collection in its extent, completeness, and variety of species clearly transcends a hunting-based viewpoint. The presence of collections large as to their nature and extent (entomologic collections, developmental stages of mammals), together with the original purpose of the museum, motivated the creation of a separate sub-collection. When the sub-collection is completed as planned, it will include collection items which are now part of the Hunting Sub-Collection (mounted specimens of mammals and birds, furs, excrements and droppings, eggs, nests, skeletons, specimens preserved in alcohol, models, anomalies, antlers without a status of a hunting trophy, etc.) and the Forestry Sub-Collection (entomology). All in all, this should amount to some 5,000 collection items. This will make the Zoology Sub-Collection one of the largest sub-collections of the museum, with some items and collections of extraordinary historical and zoological value (Sallač’s collection, birds rarely found in our territory, etc.). The oldest part of the new sub-collection will be the original collection from Ohrada, which had been formed at this hunting lodge since 1842, i.e. since the time when the Schwarzenbergs had founded a public museum of forestry and hunting. This collection includes mounted mammals and birds prepared by the first custodian of this museum, Václav Špatný. In the years that followed, the zoological collection was systematically enlarged by various items, mainly ornithological specimens and specimens related to hunting activities of members of the Schwarzenberg family in the Czech Lands and Central Europe.
Important Items Belonging to the Sub-Collection
Sallač’s collection, antlers of Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki), and mounted specimens of rare visitors to our territory, such as the marbled teal (Anas angustirostris).