What do you give to the city that has everything? A taxidermy boar of course!
Exeter is twinned with four European cities: Rennes in France, Terracina in Italy, Yaroslavl in Russia and Bad Homburg in Germany. Twinning is a form of social agreement between geographically distinct towns and cities, in order to promote cultural and commercial ties.
Exeter and Bad Homburg were twinned in 1965, and cultural exchanges have been taking place ever since. The town’s full name is Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. The prefix Bad, meaning ‘bath’, refers to the town’s mineral springs and spa, with vor der Höhe translating as ‘before the heights’. Bad Homburg lies outside of Frankfurt and as well as its spa, is renowned for its castle and casino.
In 1990, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the twinning, the City of Bad Homburg gifted Exeter the Bad Homburg Boar – a taxidermy wild boar mounted on a wooden plinth, with a brass inscribed plaque. The boar, which is not currently on display, arrived at the museum with great ceremony. Dignitaries accompanied him as he was brought into the museum, when all of a sudden somebody exclaimed that the boar’s tail was on backwards! There was a kerfuffle while this was sorted out, and it was later discovered that the boar’s entry into the UK had caused some suspicion. Customs decided to completely search the mount for hidden packages, and pulled off the tail in the process!
Wild Boar can still be found across Europe but became extinct in Britain around 700 years ago, having been hunted for food and sport. Attempts were made to reintroduce them onto private estates for the purpose of hunting – James I released animals in Windsor Park in the early 1600s – but none of these reintroductions were successful. However, in 1998 it was recorded that there were three established breeding groups living free in the UK – in Kent, East Sussex and Dorset – which almost certainly escaped from wild boar farms. There have even been reports of wild boar sightings on Dartmoor in the past!
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