The Natural History Museum Vienna
The Natural History Museum Vienna is one of the most impressive buildings at the Ringstrasse and houses over 30 million objects, making it one of the largest natural history museums in the world. Every year, over a million visitors are fascinated by thousands of exquisite exhibits on natural science, prehistory and anthropology in a unique historic setting.
The museum in its present form was designed as a “Palace of Natural Science and Evolution” by the architects Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer and was officially opened by Emperor Franz Joseph I on August 10, 1889. 39 exhibition halls on two floors convey an unforgettable impression of the history of the Earth and the diversity of life.
The lower floor presents precious gemstones and minerals, rare fossils and giant dinosaurs, the largest and oldest collection of meteorites in the world, an exhibition on the origin and development of mankind and varying special exhibitions on a wide range of topics. One of the most spectacular objects is the gemstone bouquet, a gift from Maria Theresa to her husband, Emperor Franz I Stephan of Lorraine. The Venus Cabinet houses not only the world-famous, 29,500-year-old Venus of Willendorf, but also the 36,000-year-old Venus of Galgenberg, the oldest known human figure that is made of stone. The Gold Cabinet displays prehistoric gold and silver treasures, including the second oldest gold find in the world. An entire room is dedicated to the impressive finds from the prehistoric mine and burial ground in Hallstatt, where 7,000 years of uninterrupted salt mining have left behind a wealth of magnificent archaeological traces.
The upper floor presents the overwhelming diversity of the animal world, from simple marine organisms to highly developed mammals. Numerous mounted specimens of extremely rare and also extinct amphibians and reptiles, mammals and birds can be admired here, many of them being historical treasures.
Behind the scenes, 60 scientists are working on cutting-edge issues in various fields of human, earth and life sciences and trying to find answers to the burning environmental and climate-related questions of our time. This also makes the NHM Vienna one of the largest non-university research institutions in Austria. Scientific activities remain largely hidden from the public, but the knowledge gained behind the scenes is constantly incorporated into the design of the public collection.
One of the absolute highlights for visitors to the museum is the opportunity to take a guided tour to the rooftop and enjoy the fantastic view of Vienna's city centre and the magnificent buildings along the Ringstrasse.