History
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is one of the world’s leading research museums and, at the same time, a vibrant hub in the heart of Berlin. Its development has been shaped by scientific and social change – and is now itself the subject of research.
Collection and Museum in Transition
The history of our research collection dates back to the very beginnings of the solar system: some meteorites are more than 4.5 billion years old. At the same time, new finds – such as fragments of the Ribbeck meteorite, which fell in 2024 – extend the collection right up to the present day.
The museum’s origins lie, amongst other things, in the Berlin Kunstkammer and the first university natural history collections. With the opening of the current museum building in 1889, the collection was given its own permanent home for the first time. Since then, the collection, research and museum have undergone constant change – driven by new scientific discoveries, political upheavals, war damage and reconstruction. These developments are themselves the subject of research today.
Change as a constant – and the Museum Evolution today
The museum has never been static. It has continually adapted to new demands – in academia, society and the city. The Museum Evolution builds on this development: the implementation of the Future Plan, through which we are fundamentally transforming the museum.
The renovation and extension of the listed building and the establishment of a modern collection and research centre in Berlin-Adlershof are creating the conditions for this. The aim is to further develop the museum as an open, connected space for research and society.
Our history shows how collecting, research and outreach have changed over more than two centuries. This process continues. The Museum Evolution makes it visible and opens up new opportunities to shape it together.
