The history of the earth and the breathtaking variety of nature can be practically experienced due to 20 million objects: From insects to gemstones and minerals and pterodactyls, the Habsburgs united everything under the roof of this museum near the Imperial Palace. Numerous taxidermy specimens of animals that are either extinct or threatened with extinction make the collection all the more valuable.
The showpiece of the collection is the 29,500 year-old and only eleven centimeter tall “Venus von Willendorf”, which was found in the Wachau in Lower Austria in 1908. This masterpiece of Early Stone Age sculpture is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in the world and is presented in the so-called ‘Venus Cabinet’ alongside the 36,000 year-old Statuette von Stratzing (“Fanny”), as befits its status. Right next door are the prehistoric collection newly opened in 2015 and the ‘Gold Cabinet’ with objects from across five millennia
In the digital planetarium, with its approx. 8.5 meter-diameter inner dome and state-of-the-art Fulldome technology, live presentations of various topics in the fields of astronomy, biology, prehistory and the deep sea are offered several times daily.
The dinosaur hall presents the skeletons and remains of the gigantic prehistoric animals with a lifelike allosaurus that moves and makes terrifying noises. The model was built for the Natural History Museum on the basis of the latest scientific findings. The world’s first living model of a bird of terror in the original size and new exhibits of a fascinating horned dinosaur skull supplement the impressive permanent exhibition.
Also worth seeing is the biggest and oldest collection of meteorites in the world in the Meteorite Room. 1,100 rocks that “fell from the sky” can be seen there. And with the aid of a simulator, a power meteorite strike can be staged on the screen in 3D.
On a guided tour of the roof of the Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna, visitors enjoy a unique view of Vienna’s Old City and the Ringstrasse (see website for dates).
https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/top/museum-natural-history-352950