All for nothing

Truly animal-themed: this spring and summer, the Schwandorf City Museum is all about the cat – one of the most fascinating wild animals in the world and Germany’s most popular pet.
For thousands of years, the domestic cat has fascinated humans, living in close association with them. As a result, many legends and myths have grown up around it. It is equally fascinating to take a look at the wide variety of cat species in general: these include extinct species such as the sabre-toothed cat, as well as exotic species such as the lion, snow leopard, cheetah and serval…
Did you know? Whether wild or domesticated, all cats belong to the Felidae family and are found on every continent except Antarctica and the Arctic. They have adapted to their respective living conditions and, in doing so, developed very different survival strategies. Through a wide variety of exhibits and carefully crafted specimens, this exhibition—excitingly curated by Expo-Fauna’s Dieter Luksch—presents both the cultural history of the domestic cat and the diverse cat species found worldwide.

However, wild cat species are also making a comeback in our forests, such as the lynx and wildcats, which were exterminated in Germany in the 19th century but have since been successfully reintroduced in Bavaria. An additional exhibition at the City Museum’s Nature Information Centre is dedicated to these latter ‘hunters on silent paws’, scientifically known as Felis silvestris silvestris, which has been conceived, designed and illustrated by the Bavarian Nature Conservation Union. This highly informative and vivid special exhibition focuses on the protection and distribution of this strictly protected cat species, which once again roams our native forests today.

Last edited on 27.05.2026