German Museums Preserve Rare Kuba‑Ara Parrot and Hidden Art Treasures

Germany’s major museums store millions of objects in climate‑controlled depots that are regularly inspected and digitally catalogued. The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Kassel and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt keep thousands of paintings, sculptures and drawings, including an original empty frame from Vincent van Gogh’s “Portrait of Dr. Gachet”. These collections are made available for research, international loan programmes and online databases.

At the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, a specialist team safeguards over 40 million scientific specimens. Among them are fewer than 20 historic preparations of the extinct Kuba‑Ara parrot, which disappeared around 1870, and a tiny 1871 hummingbird‑bee specimen. Curators stress stable temperature, humidity and pest control to prevent damage, describing the storage rooms as “like a heart chamber” that continually fuels new exhibitions and scientific study.