Leipzig Natural History Museum

Team WissensSpuren und Naturkundemuseum Leipzig

With a tradition spanning over a hundred years, the Leipzig Natural History Museum is a key institution for intergenerational scientific education. Serving as an archive of biodiversity, it preserves the legacy of remarkable scientific history. It is a place of science where collections are made, preserved, and researched across the fields of flora, fauna, geology, and archaeology.

History of the Building

The collections of the Natural History Museum are currently housed in the museum building at Lortzingstraße 3. However, plans are already underway for a central storage facility and a new location for the museum at Leuschnerplatz.

History

After several years of preparation, the precursor to the Leipzig Natural History Museum opened on June 5, 1912, under the name “Naturkundliches Heimatmuseum.” The main focus of the exhibition was the Leipzig Lowland Bay. Valuable specimens were collected of species that are now extinct in this region. In 1923, the museum moved to a larger location at the present-day Goerdelerring. There, the collection of plants and animals was significantly expanded, and many of these specimens were displayed in dioramas—three-dimensional representations of natural scenes that seamlessly blend into painted backgrounds, many of which are still part of the permanent exhibition today. Additionally, a focus on prehistoric and early history was added to the collection and exhibitions.

Education and Research

As an archive of biodiversity, it serves as a repository of unique scientific history—a place of science where collections are made, preserved, and researched in the fields of flora, fauna, geology, and archaeology. It holds a unique wealth of knowledge and an invaluable genetic pool. Both must be safeguarded and nurtured to ensure that future generations can explore and appreciate the world in all its diversity.

Outreach

A comprehensive event program with a wide range of activities for all ages offers insights into the museum’s collections and scientific work.