I didn’t want to miss piggy!

Pig Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

If I told you the world’s biggest pig museum is in Stuttgart, would you think I was telling you a porkie?

Well, I’m not. Lying to you is a loin I wouldn’t cross.

When I found out that there was a Pig Museum (or Schweine Museum, in German) in Stuttgart, I was so excited it was almost enough to make me squeal.

So I immediately trotted off there chop chop. I didn’t want to miss piggy.

The museum opened in 2010 in the old administration building of a slaughterhouse. Since then it has grown to the point where it has more than 50,000 items on display.

The museum is less about the pig itself, and more about what we, as humans, have done with the pig image. And, gee, do we ham it up!

Pigs might fly but they also sit, eat, and shag… and all of things are represented in the items on display.

There are piggy banks (of course) but also kitchenware, antique statues, soft toys, ties… even a letterbox.

It seems there’s nothing that can’t be made in the image of a pig. Where there’s a swill, there’s a way.

It’s all divided into 25 themed rooms that each have a topic like international pigs, wedding pigs, mythical pigs… and so on. There’s even an x-rated section where the pigs are… well, porking.

Another room is all about hobbies and there’s a great painting of pigs playing cards. I’m not sure what game but I assume it’s porker.

Now, you might think it all sounds like a bit of a boar. To that, I say hogwash!

There is so much to see here that you could huff and puff and not even blow half the house down.

If having the best collection of pork paraphernalia was a sport, this museum would win the olympig gold medal! I’m not sure there is much competition, but it would certainly take home the bacon!

You also learn a little because, along the way, there are some interesting facts.

Did you know that there are more pigs than people in Denmark?

Or that China has half the world’s pigs? Or that there is only one pig in Afghanistan and it’s kept in a zoo?

No? Well, these are the kind of difficult answers you get when you ask the through questions!

Anyway. This isn’t your usual tourist attraction but it’s a good laugh. There are actually some really nice items here and it’s fascinating just to see the scale of the whole thing.

You might wonder how it gets enough visitors to still be in business but you know why it’s still going strong? It’s too pig to fail!

>> More info here about the Pig Museum in Stuttgart <<

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN STUTTGART

You might find it convenient to get accommodation that’s walking distance from the main train station so you can easily explore the region.

BACKPACKER

If you’re looking for a budget option, the Youth Hostel Stuttgart International is one of Germany’s best.

BUDGET

For a basic but comfortable and cheap hotel, I would suggest Hotel Astoria.

BOUTIQUE

A good modern hotel in Stuttgart that’s a great option is Jaz Stuttgart.

LUXURY

And I think the best luxury hotel in Stuttgart is the Le Meridien, which also has a perfect location.

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of Baden-Wurttemberg and DB Bahn but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT STUTTGART?

See my Stuttgart Travel Guide

To help you plan your trip to Stuttgart:

• My tips for the best things to do in Stuttgart
• Explore the city’s fascinating motoring history
• Why Ludwigsburg Palace is one of the best in Germany
• The Cannstatter Volksfest could almost be better than Oktoberfest!
• Visiting the Mercedes-Benz Museum is one of the best things you can do in Stuttgart
• If you really love cars, maybe you want to sleep in one!
• Don’t miss this quirky museum dedicated to… pigs

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Germany, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Germany.

You could consider:

• Explore Central Europe – National Geographic (9 days)
• The best of Eastern Europe (14 days)
• Eastern Europe, Croatia, the Balkans (28 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.