Geomuseum der Universität Münster

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to 1824, when a mineralogical and zoological museum was established in Münster. In 1880 the geological and mineralogical collections moved into the Landsberg’sche Kurie on Pferdegasse, a Baroque aristocratic palace built in 1703–1707 to designs by Gottfried Laurenz Pictorius. In 1911 a public display collection was shown there for the first time; its main attraction was a mammoth skeleton found in Ahlen in 1910.

In 1919 mineralogy was split off into a separate museum. During World War II the Kurie was largely gutted by fire, but the geological holdings, which had been moved to safety in time, survived the war almost unscathed. After reconstruction, the mammoth returned to the exhibition in 1956, while mineralogy had to rebuild its lost collection from scratch.

In 2007 the two museums were merged to form the Geomuseum and closed for extensive renovation. Since reopening in 2023, the permanent exhibition “Vom Urknall bis Westfalen” (From the Big Bang to Westphalia) has occupied the entire building. Its 14 themed areas cover space, meteorites, minerals and the Earth's interior, as well as the geological history of Westphalia with fossils from the region. The museum is run by the University of Münster's institutes of geology and paleontology, and of mineralogy and planetology.

Highlights

• Approximately 43,000-year-old mammoth skeleton from Ahlen, newly mounted
• Meteorites and crystal worlds on the origins of the universe and the Earth
• Fossil fish and marine reptiles from the Cretaceous period of the Münsterland
• Geo-Kino (geo cinema) with insights into current research
• Inclusive trail with 38 tactile and audio stations
• Baroque Landsberg’sche Kurie with cour d'honneur

Permanent exhibitions

• Vom Urknall bis Westfalen – The permanent exhibition spans the origins of the universe, meteorites, minerals and the Earth's interior, through to the geological history of Westphalia with tropical forests, the Cretaceous sea and the Ice Age.

Founded

2007

Operated by

Universität Münster (Institute für Geologie und Paläontologie, Mineralogie und Planetologie)

Director

Emilia Jarochowska

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission; a free admission ticket is issued at the ticket desk. Group tours are subject to a fee (price depends on duration, reductions may apply, on request).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Step-free access via the ramp in the cour d'honneur (ring the bell at the stele at the bottom and the door will be opened). Elevators in all wings, wheelchair-accessible restroom in the basement of the south wing, showcases with knee clearance for wheelchair users. Tactile overview maps and an “inclusive trail” with 38 tactile and audio stations (Braille and raised lettering). Five mobile receivers with induction loop in the Geo-Kino, audio stations with T-coil.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly

Programs and interactive tours for children and teens, holiday programs (e.g., for 8- to 10-year-olds), and offerings for daycare groups. Inclusive trail with 38 tactile and audio stations; at special events, hands-on stations from the Mobile Lab in the foyer.

Getting there & parking

Bicycle parking at the building; the gate to the courtyard closes at 18:00.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop in the foyer.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit