Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
about 19 hours ago
Located in Indianola, Mississippi, Club Ebony hosted performances by blues legends like B.B. King.
How Club Ebony Helped Keep the Blues Alive in the Jim Crow South
about 19 hours ago
Spot Gentoos and other species of penguins waddling, swimming, and diving from icebergs.
Adventure at Sea: An Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica
1 day ago
Our journey begins in Texas—more specifically in Big Bend National Park.
The Atlas Obscura (Audio) Guide to the National Parks
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Netherlands Steyl Mission Museum Steyl

Mission Museum Steyl

This massive collection of taxidermy is full of specimens collected by missionaries during their international travels.

Steyl, Netherlands

Added By
Suzanne Hendriks
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Mission Museum Steyl.   Kleon3/CC BY-SA 4.0
Mission Museum Steyl.   Kleon3/CC BY-SA 4.0
Mission Museum Steyl.   Kleon3/CC BY-SA 4.0
Mission Museum Steyl.   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Mission Museum Steyl.   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Mission Museum Steyl.   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Mission Museum Steyl.   Kleon3/CC BY-SA 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Visitors to Mission Museum Steyl are greeted by a rather curious host: a cross-eyed, coin-operated taxidermy bear who squeaks to life with a terrifying and lovable grin. He's there to welcome guests to a museum in the Netherlands that showcases the dead animals and insects brought back by Catholic missionaries. 

In the 1870s, the Latin Church’s newly formed Society of the Divine Word sent its first missionaries to China. Having no other way to document their travels, they brought back the wondrous objects—and dead animals—they’d encountered.

As they continued their missions in places like Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Paraguay, Japan, and the Phillipines, they amassed such a large collection the room they'd been using in St. Michael's Mission House could no longer hold all the items. In 1896, the preserved creatures were relocated to a specifically designed room in the group’s printing house.

As time went on, more missionaries continued collecting more things. In 1931, the congregation had to build a museum just for its massive collection. Now, the Mission Museum in Steyl houses over 1,000 stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, butterflies, beetles, scorpions, and other insects. They’re all laid out exactly as they were in the ‘30s.

Related Tags

Taxidermy Catholic Cults Animals Fauna Museums Collections Museums And Collections

Know Before You Go

The village of Steyl is an attraction on its own. Idyllically situated on the river Maas, the village hosts no less than five monasteries. One of the monasteries belongs to the "pink sisters," nuns who are not allowed to leave the monastery and pray for humankind from behind bars. There's a botanical garden and a monastery garden with replica's of Lourdes and Temple Mountain.

Community Contributors

Added By

historynerdxl

Edited By

Michael Inscoe

  • Michael Inscoe

Published

December 1, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Mission Museum Steyl
Sint Michaëlstraat 7
Steyl
Netherlands
51.333191, 6.120732
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Linked Headstones of Het Oude Kerkhof

Roermond, Netherlands

miles away

Wasserturmhochhaus Großheide

Mönchengladbach, Germany

miles away

De Ballonzuil

Merselo, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 20

Nearby Places

The Linked Headstones of Het Oude Kerkhof

Roermond, Netherlands

miles away

Wasserturmhochhaus Großheide

Mönchengladbach, Germany

miles away

De Ballonzuil

Merselo, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 20

Related Places

  • Inside the cabin.

    Breckenridge, Colorado

    Edwin Carter Museum

    A museum of natural history, Edwin Carter's original log cabin home and workshop houses taxidermy specimens.

  • Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.

    Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

    Steinhardt Museum of Natural History

    Israel's first dedicated natural history museum is home to 5 million specimens and still growing.

  • One of the museum’s dioramas of animals staged in their natural habitats.

    Birchington-on-Sea, England

    Powell-Cotton Dioramas

    An English explorer's vast natural history collection has the first realistic dioramas of animals staged in their natural habitats.

  • Florence, Italy

    La Specola Zoological Museum

    An incredible menagerie of more than 3 million taxidermied animals at the oldest science museum in Europe.

  • Duncan, British Columbia

    Hand of Man Museum

    A former elementary school houses one man's extensive collection of art, artifacts, and taxidermy.

  • A view of the enormous centerpiece of African animals

    Ritzville, Washington

    Lasting Legacy Wildlife Museum

    A diorama lover's dream world.

  • Museo de Anatomopatología

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Museo de Anatomopatología (Museum of Pathological Anatomy)

    Located in a veterinary school, this macabre exhibit displays the effects of animal diseases.

  • Peter the dog.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Queensland Police Museum

    It's home to the taxidermy remains of Peter, the dog who helped convict a murderer.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.