Munich

A Sunday afternoon in the municipal museum in the heart of Munich: "I'm interested in everything historical. I'm here to find out everything about the development of this city," says Fredericke Fischer, a young student. On the ground floor a huge poster tells us that the remodelled museum was just dedicated in June 2008. Right next to the reception area, a miniature wooden model of the city is displayed. There, with enthusiasm and wonder at the quality of the work, we recognize the two steeples of the Frauenkirche towering over the Marienplatz, the Neue Rathaus, the river Isar running along the English Garden and even the Bavarian state parliament.

Unlike Munich, Abidjan unfortunately does not have a municipal museum. The city only has two museums. One is for contemporary art and shows exhibitions by sculptors, the other, better-known museum houses items and works of Côte d’Ivoire's cultural heritage. It is called the "Museum of Civilizations" and is situated in the centre of Abidjan, right on the "plateau," the business district. In this museum one can see masks from various regions of the country, statues, jewellery (chokers, earrings, necklaces and bracelets), traditional clothing, royal thrones and many other objects recalling the tradition and culture of the Ivory Coast. Or, they could recall it, but public interest in the museum is low and getting ever smaller. The visitor numbers do not exceed approximately twenty people per week.

At the municipal museum: in the King's Hall on the first floor we find modern Munich. Paintings reveal Bavaria's capital city in the year 1854, during the 19th century. We see a city in its heyday with boulevards like Maximilianstrasse and huge buildings rivalling those in the Greek capital of Athens. A quote from this age on the wall by the then ruling King Louis I of Bavaria powerfully recalls his determination to make Munich one of the most prestigious cities in Europe, and even the world: "I shall not rest until Munich resembles Athens."

On the second floor a different Munich is shown in the Monachiasaal, a Munich that loves not only art, but also has a pronounced partiality to beer. Munich even raises its love of this beverage to an art form. Surrounding a gigantic beer barrel we discover photographs of today's Munich. In addition, one of the attractions of the Monachiasaal is the red-bound volume of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler with a photograph of the author as well as another photograph showing the zeal of the public at an event on its dedication in 1925.

Yet another marvellous sight in the municipal museum is the hall housing the marionettes. But take heed! Unanticipated spectacles also await visitors here, such as the huge gorilla that suddenly breaks free when it "feels" human warmth, or the blood spitter. As surprising and edifying as he is, he will certainly give the kids a bit of a fright.

Unlike the people of Munich, who occasionally sacrifice their sacred day of rest, Sunday, to go to the museum, the residents of Abidjan avoid the museums, preferring to visit the discotheques, bars and the maquis, the famed outdoor pubs. Even art lovers prefer galleries and exhibition openings to the museum. There is no museum culture in Abidjan. Only few are interested in the city's two museums, including the city's dignitaries.

Cities can be so different: in Munich the museums are loved, in Abidjan they are avoided.