Mineralogisch-petrographische Sammlung der Universität Leipzig

About the museum

The Mineralogisch-petrographische Sammlung was founded in 1809 through extensive donations for the university's 400th anniversary and is one of the oldest mineral collections at German universities. In 1815 it was part of a natural history cabinet, which only became publicly accessible in the rooms of the Paulinum in 1837. With the chair of mineralogy and geognosy established in 1842 under Carl Friedrich Naumann, the holdings continued to grow, and from 1851 the collection was called "Mineralogisches Museum". Because of constant lack of space, the collection moved several times.

In the bombing raid of December 4, 1943, the institute and almost all of the holdings were destroyed. After 1945 the collection was rebuilt through purchases, donations and larger private collections, initially without a permanent space. In 1963 the institute moved into the building at Scharnhorststraße 20, which had belonged to the university since 1961.

After extensive renovation, a modern collection opened in mid-2011 on the second floor. It is organized around raw materials, biominerals and technical mineralogy. Display cases in staircases and corridors as well as in the new lecture hall complement the space. The holdings comprise over 12,000 mineral specimens, 3,500 rock hand specimens, 1,000 ore deposit specimens, more than 200 pieces on technical mineralogy, as well as historical scientific instruments and crystal models.

Highlights

• Over 12,000 mineral specimens from around the world
• 3,500 rock hand specimens and 1,000 ore deposit specimens
• Technical mineralogy, such as slags and synthetic crystals
• Historical scientific instruments and crystal models

Permanent exhibition

• Mineralogisch-petrographische Sammlung im ersten Obergeschoss – Modern display on raw materials, biominerals and technical mineralogy, complemented by cases with systematic mineralogy in stairwells and corridors.

Founded

1809

Operated by

Universität Leipzig – Fakultät für Chemie

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