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Museum

Witt Museum, also known in the literature under the abbreviation MWM, has been established in 1980 by Certificated Businessman Thomas J. WITT to study night butterflies (Heterocera), "Bombices and Sphinges" as they are defined in the work of SEITZ. The representative specialized collection of Lepidoptera families, comprised of about 2,5 – 3 million specimens from over the world, forms the basis of this privately donated institute. The history and origin of the collection, combined from numerous private collections of eminent lepidopterologists along with material, obtained during many research trips and expeditions of the second half of 20th century, extends back to the middle of 19th century. The growing crew of specialists of many nations, including corresponding scientists and colleagues, is now busy maintaining, evaluating and studying of the research material. Results of this activity are constantly published in internationally known editions, book series and separate articles. To publish the growing number of manuscripts, WITT in 1980 completed an agreement with the editorial team of Maximilian SCHWARZ, Ansfelden, for publication of the special journal Entomofauna. Published from the beginning in a high number of exemplars, this journal in a short period found its way through the international correspondence to the most significant libraries of the world, universities, professional communities and societies. It also received a recognition within the fast growing circle of subscribers. Continuously supplemented research library contains now more than thousand textbooks along with about 20.000 research related reprints, letters, maps and manuscripts from about 450 journals, which can be readily accessed.