The Museum

Integrating research, collection and society

We are the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – an open, integrated research museum within the Leibniz Association. Research, collection and public engagement are closely intertwined at our institution. We engage with and influence the scientific and societal discourse about the future of our planet.

Our interdisciplinary teams work with more than 30 million collection objects. They investigate the evolution of life, the dynamics of biodiversity and processes within the solar system. At the same time, we examine the history of our collection and its scientific, cultural and political contexts.

As part of our museum’s evolution, we are developing the museum for the 21st century. In this way, we are creating a modern infrastructure for research and collection and strengthening the exchange between science and society.

The Museum Evolution

The Earth is home to a vast diversity of life. At the same time, our society faces major challenges – such as the accelerating rate of species extinction, the climate crisis and a dwindling trust in democratic institutions. Through its scientific work, its research collection and its educational activities, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin can make an important contribution to tackling these crises.

In the 2010s, the Museum developed its Future Plan to this end. Since 2018, the German Bundestag and the State of Berlin have been supporting its implementation. On this basis, the Museum is shaping its evolution. This encompasses the modernisation of its infrastructure, the further development of its scientific collection, and new forms of knowledge dissemination and collaboration with society.