Evolution Update
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is undergoing a comprehensive process of evolution. Whilst continuing its day-to-day operations, it is developing into a vibrant research museum that integrates science, collections and the dissemination of knowledge, and is opening itself up to society in all areas. By 2035, this will create a place of knowledge and democratic discussion about nature right in the heart of the city. But how far has the museum’s evolution progressed so far? Director General Johannes Vogel and Managing Director Stephan Junker provide an update.
Mr Junker, Mr Vogel, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is in the midst of a process of ‘transformation’, from which a completely revamped research museum will emerge – both in terms of its physical structure, with a new building in Adlershof and the refurbishment of the old building on Invalidenstraße, but also in terms of its identity. How will the museum change by 2035?
Junker We want to evolve from a traditional natural history museum into a vibrant research museum. This means we will be a place where knowledge is no longer hidden behind display cases, but is available to everyone. To put it succinctly, one could say: fewer display cases, more participation.
Vogel As an institution with 216 years of history, we want to project our relevance. That can only be achieved through change. As an institute specialising in evolutionary biology, we know that you have to move very quickly to remain relevant. That’s part of our DNA – we’re constantly striving to find the best solutions for our future, welcoming different perspectives and encouraging people to join the discussion. That’s one reason why we’re the most popular museum in Berlin.
Since 2018, we have had a clear plan for the future, setting out how the museum will develop in terms of its buildings, how it intends to make its collection fit for the future, and how it plans to open up. How much of this has already been set in motion?
Junker We’re right in the thick of it, even if that might not be so visible from the outside. We have digitised millions of objects, created vast data infrastructures and established new research networks. We are transforming the analogue treasure trove of our collection into an open knowledge infrastructure and have set everything in motion for the refurbishment of the historic museum building on Invalidenstraße and the new building in Adlershof. We have, so to speak, rewritten our entire operating system.
A massive undertaking …
Junker When we received the funding commitment from the federal and state governments for our ‘Future Plan’, we suddenly found ourselves in a real start-up situation. We had to take on lots of new staff and, first and foremost, set up a construction department. Two-thirds of our administrative staff have joined the museum in the last three years. So the ‘Future Plan’ isn’t just a facelift on the outside; the entire museum organisation has changed.
Vogel We’re fortunate that many talented people want to work with us because they share our vision and recognise its relevance to society. Of course, it’s a balancing act to keep the museum vibrant and functional whilst undergoing such drastic changes. Our responsibility now is to offer the many researchers at our institution an attractive workplace, despite all the changes.
Photo: Pablo Castagnola
Part of the plan for the future is to open up the museum to the wider community – what exactly does that mean?
Junker On the one hand, we want to open up our physical spaces. Visitors should not feel as though they are entering a monument dating from 1889, but rather an open, accessible building. We’re also making our collection digitally accessible worldwide. Added to this is a ‘cultural’ dimension: we want to enable participation and engage in dialogue with people.
Vogel Many people from all over the world live in Berlin and see the city as their new home. We are therefore also working with school classes in Wedding, which have a high proportion of children from migrant backgrounds. For us, this is also part of opening up, because we ask ourselves: how do we remain relevant in a changing society?
And how far have you got in making the collection – with its roughly 30 million objects – fit for the future?
Vogel Our core task is to preserve this global collection and ensure it is fit for the future. We’ve already made good progress in this regard. We have fully catalogued some parts of the collection – such as the mammal collection or the snail collection, comprising millions of objects – both digitally and in analogue form. ‘Analogue’ means that we have secured the objects for the future. In the ZUGvögel exhibition, you can see what a cleaned and refurbished collection looks like.
Another aim is to open up to the public what used to be kept behind closed doors in the storerooms…
Vogel: Exactly, there will be a mix of themed exhibitions – as has already been the case, for example, in the Evolution in Action gallery – and additional insights into the collection. We started with the wet collection, which is open to the public, and most recently added the special exhibition ZUGvögel – Collection in Motion. There is no natural history museum in the world that places its collections so consistently at the heart of its exhibitions.
Junker Next, we’ll be opening up the collection of Deer and Bovids, as well as Mammal Skulls, as part of guided tours, with more to follow. Our aim is to show what a scientific collection entails, how it came into being and what it’s used for. For us, this is also a project of democratisation: by opening up the collection, we are creating the opportunity for people to share in its knowledge. This is, if you like, the most political step a natural history museum can take.
So this ‘transformation’ in our thinking towards becoming an open and vibrant research museum is already well advanced – how far have you got with the physical ‘transformation’?
Junker We have been granted planning permission for our new building in Adlershof and, in all likelihood, will break ground in the second half of the year. This is where our ‘Future Lab’ will be established, where we will preserve, research and digitise the collection. As for Invalidenstraße, the plans are in their final phase. The refurbishment of the west wing is currently underway; this is where we will bring together our educational programmes in future. The next step will be the construction of a research and laboratory building at the rear of the site. And in the final phase, from around 2031, we will expand the exhibition space and redesign the main building so that we can present our collection and our research findings in a much more attractive way.
Vogel: We can easily fill the new exhibition space. When you have 30 million objects, you certainly don’t lack ‘material’ – especially not when you also employ 220 researchers. All our exhibitions are therefore based on what we have and do ourselves; we do not commission any special exhibitions. With this approach, we have increased our visitor numbers sixfold over the past 20 years.
The architectural competition for the refurbishment of the building on Invalidenstraße was decided in 2023 – to what extent is the design also a gesture towards the city?
Junker The design views the museum as part of Berlin. This means there will be greater openness and public access, and fewer barriers. We want to open up the building to the city, in consultation with the heritage conservation authorities. Upon entering, visitors will step into a reception hall that will be open to the public free of charge. The building will be less of a repository for the collection and more like a marketplace.
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is also a centre of cutting-edge research, with more than 200 researchers. How important is research into biodiversity and the Earth system for our future as humanity?
Vogel Humankind is in the process of altering the Earth in a way that no other organism has ever done before. There have been meteorite impacts and volcanic eruptions, but no organism has yet managed to do what we are doing. One question we ask ourselves is how we can learn from the ‘wisdom of life’ over the last 3.8 billion years. How can we learn from this wisdom – the way life has coped with the most drastic changes – for the future of humankind? This will only be possible with machines. That is why we must embrace digitalisation, so that artificial intelligence can work with the available data to develop solutions. As a museum, we want to become part of the knowledge infrastructure that tackles these challenges – from DNA right through to the functioning of ecosystems. After all, functioning ecosystems are ultimately what make culture and civilisation possible in the first place.
Junker Natural history research is increasingly becoming research that is about survival – survival research.
Photo: Verena Brüning
Humanity is currently putting so much at risk – just think of the unchecked climate crisis or the ongoing loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. Can a public forum for dialogue, such as the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, help to bring about a change in mindset?
Junker: We can highlight different perspectives, and that can help to change people’s thinking and behaviour. We want to reach people’s minds, but also their hearts. We want people to feel the magic of the collection, to let us soothe, challenge and inspire them. Often, it is not sound arguments that bring about change, but experiences. Visiting our museum is an experience in itself. The moment you step into the dinosaur hall and look up – you have, in an instant, experienced natural history on an emotional level. That alone can make a difference.
Vogel It’s also important that we’re a non-commercial space for community. Because what should be of great concern to us right now is that there are so few places left that foster a sense of community. Many of our feelings and needs have been commercialised in a highly sophisticated way. We’re creating a counterbalance. And it works. We’re one of the few much-loved non-commercial places for community in Berlin. Why else do so many people come to us?
What message does the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin want to convey to the world?
Vogel For nature and for democracy.
Junker We do not stand outside nature; we are part of it.
The federal government and the State of Berlin recognised the relevance of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin as early as 2018 by funding its Future Plan. What signal did they send with this?
Junker A strong signal that they see us as a relevant infrastructure for the future. This is more than just funding. It is a decision recognising that an institution which generates knowledge is important to society. Particularly at a time when facts are often put into perspective, this is an important signal that says: we are investing in a place of enlightenment for the 21st century.
Vogel And for that we are grateful. It is a great gift and a great responsibility, which we intend to live up to.
The interview was conducted by Mirco Lomoth.