Naturhistorisches Museum (Mainz)

About the museum

The Naturhistorisches Museum traces its origins to the collections of the Rheinische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (Rhenish Society of Natural Scientists). It opened in 1910 as a municipal museum in the former church of the Poor Clares' convent of Reichklara in Mainz's old town; its scientific holdings quickly attracted attention beyond the region.

Part of the collections was lost during the Second World War, and the museum was not able to welcome visitors again until 1962. The founding of the Landessammlung für Naturkunde Rheinland-Pfalz (State Natural History Collection of Rhineland-Palatinate) in 1988 marked the start of the systematic development of a statewide research collection for the biological and earth sciences, which is still based at the museum today and carries out its own excavations, for example in Eckfeld and Eppelsheim.

Since 2019, the redesigned permanent exhibition "Wilde Welten" (Wild Worlds) has taken visitors on a journey through the region's natural history in geological order – from creatures of prehistoric seas and deserts to early horses by a volcanic lake and sea cows in a tropical sea, all the way to Ice Age hyenas and woolly rhinos. It is complemented by sections on evolution and the forest as well as regular special exhibitions, some of which have recently been shown jointly with the Gutenberg-Museum in the same building complex.

Highlights

• "Wilde Welten," a walk through Earth's history
• Fossils from the ancient Rhine (Ur-Rhein) and the Mainz Basin
• Ice Age animals such as the woolly rhino and cave hyena
• Landessammlung für Naturkunde Rheinland-Pfalz (state natural history collection)
• The former Reichklara convent church as exhibition building

Permanent exhibitions

• Wilde Welten – This walk through Earth's history uses scenes of prehistoric life and fossils to show how the region's landscapes and wildlife changed over millions of years – from a tropical sea to the cold Ice Age steppe.

Founded

1910

Operated by

Landeshauptstadt Mainz

Director

Bernd Herkner

Admission & discounts

Family guided tour €60, children's birthday party (2 hrs) €95. Gift vouchers available at the museum ticket desk.

Accessibility

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

Building and exhibitions accessible, with elevator, wheelchair-accessible restroom, and guidance system (Museumsportal Rheinland-Pfalz); the museum education activity room, the lecture hall, and some collection areas are not accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

On Saturdays "Naturspürnasen" for preschoolers (with an adult) and elementary school children, holiday program "Ferienforscher", flashlight tours for families. Children's birthday parties for ages 4–12 (2 hours, max. 10 children). Eating and drinking in the museum are currently not allowed.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check

No museum café, but numerous cafés in the area. Museum shop.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit