09-19-2015, 06:45 PM
For the purposes of general information, I thought I'd briefly revive this thread to mention that both the Ancient Shipping Museum (Museum für antike Schifffahrt) and Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz now have a very strictly-enforced no-photography policy. This includes pictures taken without flash.
I suspect this policy might be new, as I've seen many pictures of the reconstructed vessels in the ship museum obviously taken by visitors. Both museums are free to enter, and I assume the intention is to make money on selling books and postcards etc.
It's a shame, as both museums are excellent. The RGZM has a number of original helmets and other bits of military equipment - actually this is all in the end room of the lower floor, so if you time it right you can take a few pics while the guards are out of the room! The original (I think - so the guard claimed anyway) Deurne helmet on the upper floor is in the entrance room, however, and under constant vigil.
I confess that I sneaked a few pictures in the ship museum too, before being spotted. After that I was followed everyone by one of the guards (note - some of them are in plain clothes!) to dissuade me from further verboten activities...
The nearby Mainz Landesmuseum allows (non flash) photos, and has paid entry, but unless you really like migration-period warrior graves there's not much to see there. The excellent Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier appears to have no problem with photography either, and neither does the museum of the Archäologische Park Xanten.
I suspect this policy might be new, as I've seen many pictures of the reconstructed vessels in the ship museum obviously taken by visitors. Both museums are free to enter, and I assume the intention is to make money on selling books and postcards etc.
It's a shame, as both museums are excellent. The RGZM has a number of original helmets and other bits of military equipment - actually this is all in the end room of the lower floor, so if you time it right you can take a few pics while the guards are out of the room! The original (I think - so the guard claimed anyway) Deurne helmet on the upper floor is in the entrance room, however, and under constant vigil.
I confess that I sneaked a few pictures in the ship museum too, before being spotted. After that I was followed everyone by one of the guards (note - some of them are in plain clothes!) to dissuade me from further verboten activities...
The nearby Mainz Landesmuseum allows (non flash) photos, and has paid entry, but unless you really like migration-period warrior graves there's not much to see there. The excellent Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier appears to have no problem with photography either, and neither does the museum of the Archäologische Park Xanten.
Nathan Ross
