Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz
Natural history museum in the Chemnitz cultural department store DAStietz with the Petrified Forest, Permian fossils, and an insectarium with live animals.
About the museum
The museum's roots lie in the 19th century: in 1859 a natural science reading society was formed in Chemnitz, renamed the Naturwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft in 1861. In 1868 the city received a natural history collection as a gift, in 1875 pieces of the Petrified Forest were shown publicly for the first time, and in 1876 the first Chemnitz museum opened on Annaberger Straße.
Johann Traugott Sterzel, who from 1867 looked after the mineralogical department on a volunteer basis, left a lasting mark. In 1909 the collection moved to the König-Albert-Museum. Silicified trees had been known in Chemnitz since the days of Agricola; in 1901 a trunk about three meters in diameter was added.
In 1995 the geologist Ronny Rößler took over the management and oriented the museum more strongly toward research on the Petrified Forest. In 2004 the museum moved to the cultural department store DAStietz, where an ensemble of 25 petrified trunks weighing about 65 tons in total has stood ever since. In 2009 it received the Sächsischer Museumspreis. Excavations in the city area still yield new finds today from the forest that was buried by a volcanic eruption about 291 million years ago; the collections comprise over 300,000 objects.
Highlights
- Petrified Forest with 25 trunks in the DAStietz
- Display case about 10 m long with a petrified horsetail tree excavated in 2008
- Life-size model of the giant millipede Arthropleura
- Insectarium with live insects
- Hands-on fossils and interactive stations
Permanent exhibitions
- Sterzeleanum – Versteinerter Wald – A journey into Earth's history around the Chemnitz forest buried by a volcano 291 million years ago, with original fossils, models, and hands-on stations.
- Historisches Kabinett – A look into the museum's collection history since the 19th century.
- Insektarium – Display with live insects.
- Operated by
- Stadt Chemnitz
- Director
- Ronny Rößler
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2.50School pupils and vocational school students aged 19 and over, students aged 19 and over, people with severe disabilities |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people up to age 18 have free admission. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2.50 |
| Students & apprentices | €2.50Students of TU Chemnitz have free admission. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personFor every 10 people, one supervisor has free admission. |
Free admission also with the Chemnitzpass and Danke-Card.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
All exhibition areas are accessible at ground level or by elevator; accessible restrooms on the first floor of the DAStietz. Dogs are not allowed, except assistance dogs.
Kids & families
Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 2+
| Time needed | approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
- Hands-on stations
- Kids’ birthday parties
According to the museum, suitable from age 2. Children's birthday parties from age 6 (Mon–Fri, 2 hours, up to 10 children and 2 adults, €70 plus €3 for materials) with amber polishing and a visit to the insectarium. Programs for daycare, elementary, and secondary schools.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Zentralhaltestelle
Stop Zentralhaltestelle directly in front of the DAStietz entrance; about a 15-minute walk from the main station.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No parking lot of its own; paid parking garages Moritzhof and Rosenhof in the immediate vicinity.
The museum is located on the second floor of the cultural department store DAStietz.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography permitted, without flash in the insectarium. |
| Good to know | Recommended visit duration 1–3 hours. No public guided tours; group tours by registration (free for educational institutions, adult groups €30). |
