Berlin's Museum für Naturkunde may not be the most impressive facade on Museum Island, but anyone with an interest in natural history, dinosaurs, space, or science in general will enjoy a day exploring their deep collections. The museum is home to a staggering >30 million specimens, and the permanant exhibits display and celebrate some of the most famous fossils ever found. This establishment is definitely worth a visit if you're in Berlin for more than a few days!
The Museum für Naturkunde was established as part of the Berlin University (now Humboldt University) in 1810 by Wilhelm von Humboldt. The brother of the famous explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt, Wilhelm was an instrumental figure in reinventing collegiate education in Germany during the early 19th century. The Museum für Naturkunde is home to world-class paleontological, geological, and natural history collections that span the eons of life on earth.
The museum sits on the edge of Museum Island, making it a reasonable addition to a bigger museum exploration. Admission to the museum is unbelievably affordable for the quality of the collections inside. Adult admission is €8, but students (including those at GLS) with a card can get entry for €5. Children ages 5 and under are free.
The museum has been in its current home since the late 19th century. Note the incredible cast iron staircases that pay homage to the site, which was an ironworks before being obtained by the university. The east wing of the building was badly damaged by Allied bombs during WWII, and some elements of the collection were badly damaged. However, the building has been largely restored and while some elements of the taxidermy collection on display bear the scars of warfare, they provide a unique perspective on what we lose to the horrors of war.
Speaking of the taxidermy collection, the Museum für Naturkunde houses an unbelievable assortment of taxidermy animals, presented in some of the most artistic forms I have ever experienced. The exhibit on the art of taxidermy explains how scientists and museum curators work to preserve and honor the specimens they collect by creating lifelike taxidermy forms. Perhaps the most magnificent are the diverse collections of birds, positioned in beautiful juxtaposition and visible from many angles.
The Hall of Biodiversity is a major draw for visitors, and rightly so. The museum shatters any misconceptions that natural history is a stuffy, antiquated science by presenting the diversity of life in a modern, well-lit exhibit hall. This area features such interesting specimens, including a Quagga and a Thylacine, both species that have gone extinct in the last century due to exploitation and habitat loss at the hands of humans.
Speaking of extinctions, the dinosaur hall at the Museum für Naturkunde is fascinating. There are articulated skeletons of dinosaurs ranging from small raptors to large herbivores. An interesting interactive display allows you to focus on a skeleton and recreate the dinosaur in its original habitat on a screen. This activity allows kids and adults alike to imagine these almost-fantastical beasts as living, breathing creatures.
Beyond the main dinosaur hall, visitors will find the skeleton of Tristan Otto the Tyrannosaurus rex. Tristan Otto--named for the sons of the scientists who discovered the fossil--was discovered in 2012 in Montana (USA) by two Dutch paleontologists. Tristan is the first T. rex to be displayed in Europe, and excavation continues at the discovery site to uncover biological clues about the environments that T. rex lived in and possibly discover even more fossils. The exhibit is fascinating, viewers can get an almost 360° view of the articulated fossils, and the lighting is dramatic and awe-inspiring.
As cool as Tristan is, the real showstopper at the Museum für Naturkunde is the Berlin Sample of Archeopteryx. This fossil, which features in every paleontology and evolutionary biology textbook, was a critical discovery that helped link the evolutionary patterns of dinosaurs and birds. With clearly visible feathers, the Archeopteryx discovery and description shook the scientific community when published by Hermannn von Meyer, a Franconian paleontologist, in 1861. Visitors can see the Archeopteryx fossil in a private viewing area that has explanations on the significance of the discovery in German and in English.
The museum also has rotating temporary exhibits. The current visiting exhibit is called Life Undercover and explores the unique evolution and life history of parasites. While this topic may feel uncomfortable for some visitors, the curation of the exhibit presents the specimens in 10 discrete modules that helps focus on the biology of these relationships without getting too gross. The fact that parasites are involved and impacted in such diverse contexts as human health, climate change, and cultural history make this exhibit a worthwhile stretch of the brain.
The Museum für Naturkunde has many other excellent exhibits an is suitable for children and adults of all ages. It is easily accessible via public transit, with the aptly named Naturkundemuseum stop on the U-Bahn. It is also a reasonable walk from Alexanderplatz, the Tiergarten, or the rest of Museum Island if you’re feeling up to it. There are frequently school groups visiting, but weekends in bad weather are certainly the busiest times. I recommend visiting during the work week if possible to get the best chance to see the specimens.