Natural History Museum Vienna: Fascinating journey through natural history
The Natural History Museum Vienna is one of the most important museums in the world. It houses over 30 million objects and offers an impressive collection of fossils, minerals and animal specimens. Highlights include the Venus of Willendorf and a huge dinosaur skeleton. The magnificent building and the diverse exhibitions make it an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages.
Short info:
- Where is the Natural History Museum? Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna
- What is there to see there? At the Natural History Museum Vienna you can marvel at fossils, animals, plants and minerals from all over the world, including some rare and extinct species.
- When is it open and how much does admission cost? Generally it is open from 9:00h to 18:00h, here you can find the opening hours and prices in detail.
The Natural History Museum in General
With over 30 million objects in its collection, the Natural History Museum in Vienna (NHM) is one of the most important natural history museums in the world. The museum opened on August 10, 1889. Directly opposite is the Kunsthistorisches Museum, a mirror image of the NHM. Today, the museum welcomes over 500,000 visitors a year. They can wander through the halls and explore the development of nature from the beginnings of the earth to the modern animal and plant world. The highlight of the museum is the impressive collection of dinosaur skeletons. The museum is not only known for its scientific collections, but also for its breathtaking architecture.
The highlights
The Natural History Museum in Vienna offers a wide range of exhibitions and collections, including the following highlights:
- Dinosaur exhibition: An impressive collection of dinosaur fossils, including large skeletons of Diplodocus, Allosaurusand Iguanodon
- Meteorite Collection: A unique collection of meteorites from different parts of the solar system.
- Mineral Collection: An extensive collection of minerals from around the world, including gemstones, crystals and other rare minerals.
- Zoological Collections: An extensive collection of animals, including specimens of exotic and domestic animals, insects, butterflies and fish species.
- Anthropological Collections: A fascinating collection of human skeletons and fossils, including replicas of Neanderthal and early human skeletons.
- Art and cultural exhibitions: In addition to the natural science collections, the museum also offers temporary exhibitions on art and culture.
- Planetarium: A modern planetarium that gives visitors the opportunity to explore the starry sky and learn about the universe.
History of the Collections
The oldest holdings of the Natural History Museum Vienna are over 250 years old. Emperor Franz I Stephan of Lorraine, Maria Theresa's husband, bought the largest and most famous natural history collection of the time around 1750, laying the foundation stone for the Natural History Museum. Among the 30,000 objects were very rare fossils, snails, mussels and corals as well as precious minerals and gemstones. After the emperor's early death, Maria Theresa handed the scientific collection over to the state and made it accessible to the public.
Permanent exhibition and collections - by rooms
raised ground floor
- Minerals, rocks: minerals, ores, gemstones, rocks and meteorites are shown
- meteorites: Hall 5 houses the largest meteorite exhibition in the world. 1100 meteorites are on display today
- Earth history, fossils: The central theme of rooms 6 to 9 is the evolution of life in the history of the earth.
- dinosaurs: The skeletons of Diplodocus, Allosaurus and Iguanodon can be admired from all sides. A highlight not only for children is the animatronic model of an allosaurus that moves and makes noises.
- Prehistory: The most significant cultural developments and achievements of early human history are presented here
- Anthropology: The permanent anthropology exhibition is reserved for the general theme of “hominid evolution” and deals with the development process of humans up to the Neolithic period.
- Digital Planetarium: Films are shown here in different languages.
First Floor & Second Floor
- Microcosm: this room is dedicated to the smallest representatives of the animal and plant world: tiny single-celled organisms, water fleas and insect larvae can be observed on a screen in large projects
- Single-celled organisms, corals, mollusks: Invertebrates can be seen: single-celled organisms, sponges, coelenterates, various “worms”, snails, mussels, squid, echinoderms and arthropods
- Crayfish, arachnids, insects: The majority of the hall is dedicated to the enormous diversity of insect species, such as crustaceans, arachnids, millipedes and butterflies
- Fish: The museum's collection includes around 2 million specimens, of which only about one per mille can be exhibited.
- Reptiles, amphibians: Here, too, only about 0.5% of the 200,000 objects are shown. 930 wet preparations and 130 dry preparations are on display.
- birds: Almost a quarter (2,500 objects) of all known bird species on earth can be discovered here in four exhibition rooms.
- Mammals: The entire collection now comprises between 80,000 and 100,000 specimens. Around 470 dermoplasties can be seen in seven exhibition rooms
- Deck 50: the new experimental room at the Natural History Museum Vienna, a stage for exciting science shows and school workshops
In addition to the permanent exhibition, there are always special exhibitions Tip: Coffee restaurant in the upper dome hall. In the impressive domed hall you can enjoy traditional Viennese food, from coffee specialties and pastries to hearty snacks in between meals and warm dishes as the main meal.
Conclusion
A visit to the Natural History Museum Vienna is an unforgettable experience for young and old. It offers a unique opportunity to experience and understand nature in all its diversity and beauty. A special highlight is also the regular night tour through the museum, where visitors can take an unforgettable look at the collections in the dark. The Natural History Museum Vienna is an unmissable destination for anyone who wants to experience the best of Vienna's cultural and natural history.
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