Station: [1] Museum Shop / Cash Desk


Roll up, roll up! Ladies, gentlemen, beloved little ones! Meow! Welcome to my home, Markersdorf Village Museum... Well, and so what if it’s a museum ... This extremely authentic farm has the privilege of being my home. And you, dear madam or sir, have the honour of being shown around by the master of the house in person. Me.

Nobody knows this place like I do – Jamal is my name, tomcat is my trade. Well, with the possible exception of the humans who once lived here. The Kliemt family, and a certain Charlotte Tzschoppe and others... They were hard-working farming folk, while I (the real master here on the farm) am still happy to supervise the humans and animals who live here.

But don't think for one moment that I'm idle... even I have my duties. Mouse-hunting, pigeon-chasing ... and last, but not least: promoting the beauty of this place with my mere presence. Because Jamal means "beauty" in Arabic, and I am a cat from the East... I made my way here from a great distance, I have breathed the air of far-off lands and become proficient in foreign languages – seventeen, no less! And now I make sure everything runs smoothly here in Markersdorf. Which is a good thing.

Take this grocer's shop, with its old counter. A genuine original, more than a hundred years old! We sell everything you might need ... and more. Meow! Including your ticket to my domain, of course. Plus: homemade jam, honey, schnapps distilled on the premises as well as postcards, craft sheets, coffee and all kinds of kitchenware.

And for anyone seriously devoted to washing – like any respectable feline, for example – take a look at the shelf on the left: soaps and little packs of detergent in every shape and colour, as much as your heart desires!

A grocer's shop really looked like this ... in the old days... a century ago... when I was but a mere kitten, and Adolf and Anna Kliemt and their children farmed here. As I’m sure you are aware, a cat has nine lives. So one witnesses and experiences quite a lot over time.

Hence my delight at being able to serve as your companion today, on your journey into the past – and to share my immense knowledge with you. I'll be delighted to escort you around my farm and to answer any questions you may have. Permit me to take the lead and follow me.

All depictions: © Schlesisch-Oberlausitzer Museumsverbund gGmbH