Municipal natural history museum in the Renaissance noble residence Spiegelshof: people, nature, and the environment, a Geo-Stollen (geology tunnel), and changing hands-on exhibitions.
September 27, 2026 – February 28, 2027
Hands-on exhibition all about light and color: at experiment stations, visitors can try out classic experiments, for example after Isaac Newton, as well as optical illusions.
April 19, 2026 – February 28, 2027
Small exhibition on the dwellings and habitats of native animals, created as part of a joint initiative of East Westphalian museums.
March 7, 2027 – July 4, 2027
Satellite images show the beauty of landscapes such as river deltas and deserts – and how profoundly humans are changing the Earth's surface.
Bielefeld's natural history collections were first shown in 1889 at Sparrenburg Castle. The official founding date is October 3, 1906, when the holdings – supported by patrons including August Oetker and Alfred Zickgraf – moved into a villa and became a municipal museum in their own right.
World War II and the years that followed brought severe setbacks: the collections were stored in scattered school attics, and large parts of the insect, specimen, and fossil holdings were lost. Under Martin Büchner, director from 1964 to 1997, the collections were rebuilt; the museum moved first to Stapenhorststraße and later to Adenauerplatz, where its administration is still located today.
Since 1986 the exhibition has been housed in the Spiegelshof, one of the city's few surviving noble residences, whose construction has been dendrochronologically dated to 1540. The permanent exhibition “natur | mensch | umwelt” (nature | people | environment) was created in 2003, updated in 2021, and focuses on topics such as biodiversity, resources, and climate change; it is complemented by the Geo-Stollen on regional geology. The scientific collections comprise around 575,000 objects, including some 400,000 insects as well as fossils, rocks, and archaeological finds from East Westphalia. A friends' association founded in 1994 supports the museum.
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2University students, trainees, voluntary service participants |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and young people under 18 free. |
| Seniors | –No general senior discount; free for seniors on the first Wednesday of the month. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Companions of people with the “B” marker free. |
| Students & apprentices | €2Free admission for university students on Wednesdays. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €2.50 per personReduced €1.50 per person; school classes free. |
| Families | €1.50Family price per adult (max. 2 adults); children free. |
| Combination ticket namu, Historisches Museum, and Museum Huelsmann | €12Reduced €6; one admission per museum. |
| Combination annual pass (3 museums) | €40Reduced €20. |
| Sunday guided tour (11:00) | €2Plus admission; tours for families or adults. |
Free admission: Free on Wednesdays for university students and on the first Wednesday of the month for seniors.
Free admission also for school classes and holders of the Bielefeld-Pass. Tickets also available in the online shop.
Exhibition building largely wheelchair-accessible, with elevator and accessible restroom; entrance at the rear with a 3 cm threshold; loan wheelchairs available. Administration building only partially accessible, Grünes Haus not accessible.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €1.50 · Family price per adult (max. 2 adults); children free. |
Sunday and holiday tours for families with children ages 6 and up, holiday programs (including a researcher holiday week) and children's birthday parties for ages 5 to 14. Strollers are allowed in the exhibition.
Adenauerplatz · 300 m
Stadtbahn (light rail) line 1 to “Adenauerplatz” (approx. 300 m); buses 21, 22, 24, 28, 29, 48, 80.2, 83, 87, 88, 95, 142, 228 to “Kunsthalle” (approx. 350 m).
Parking available
Parking on the museum forecourt; if all spaces are taken, museum staff will help.
Eating and drinking not permitted in the exhibition rooms, in the foyer by arrangement.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography and filming for private purposes allowed without flash. |
| Good to know | Sunday tours at 11:00 alternating between families and adults and teenagers ages 14 and up. Group tours of the special exhibition 60 min., €30 (reduced €25), max. 15 people; book via veranstaltungen-naturkundemuseum@bielefeld.de. Programs for daycare centers and schools. The ammonite wall is currently being reworked (reopening announced for November 8, 2026). |
All 8 museums in Bielefeld All museums in North Rhine-Westphalia
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