German museum offers Lego exhibits

Roman remains sit side-by-side with a model showing Roman military life

A German museum hopes to draw children to the otherwise stuffy world of archaeology through the use of Lego building bricks.

The Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt has taken the unusual step of placing topical models made from the popular toy bricks next to genuine artefacts from its collection, regional news website Hessenschau reports. One display at the "Time Travel" exhibition shows a Roman helmet and other finds from the era next to a diorama showing what life at a Roman fort might have looked - all at child's eye level. Another exhibit shows a Lego copy of a mosaic from Pompeii.

Speaking to Hessenschau, museum curator Kathrin Meents said that the idea behind the exhibit was to make history clear and understandable for children through the medium of play. Despite a burning urge to build the exhibits themselves, the museum instead turned to Germany's only certified Lego professionals to put the 100,000 bricks together. "That's the only way in Germany", Meents explains.

However, there were problems pulling the Lego models together - "As some of the parts were not part of the company's current range, we had to find bricks from collectors or other sources" said Meents.

It's not the only Lego-based attraction launching new exhibits. In the UK, a recreation of last weekend's Durham Miners' Festival in Lego bricks - complete with banners and brass band - has been added to a scale model of Durham Cathedral based in the real cathedral, and blessed by the Bishop of Jarrow.

Another exhibit shows a mammoth hunt

Next story: Chinese flooded wedding goes down a storm on social media

Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.