From November 9, 2023
Electrum mundi – Bernsteinwelten
Inclusions in amber from the museum collection, which young researchers in Jena have used to describe previously unknown insect species; no end date has been announced.
Phyletisches Museum
Art Nouveau museum of the University of Jena, founded by Ernst Haeckel, on the evolutionary history of animals, with the Medusa Hall, the Evolution Hall, and an aurochs.
Opening hoursAdmission from €4.50 Partially accessible
Current exhibitions
About the museum
The zoologist Ernst Haeckel, one of the most influential advocates of the theory of evolution in Germany, wanted to present the evolutionary history of living things – phylogeny – vividly to a broad public. He had a dedicated museum built, laid the foundation stone in August 1907, and handed over the finished building in 1908 for the 350th anniversary of the University of Jena.
The Art Nouveau building was designed by the architect Karl Dittmar based on Haeckel's ideas. The facade bears motifs such as a tree of life and was elaborately restored in 2007/2008. Inside, a ceiling painting of jellyfish by Adolf Giltsch, based on Haeckel's drawings, adorns the so-called Medusa Hall.
The museum still belongs to Friedrich-Schiller-Universität today and is affiliated with the Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research. Its scientific collections comprise more than a million objects, including around 850,000 insects and thousands of mammals and birds; some items date back to the 18th century.
The permanent exhibition leads through the diversity of multicellular animals, evolution, and human evolution; special exhibitions take up current research. For the future, the museum is planning an extension that will provide, among other things, more space for special exhibitions, accessible collections, and a critical examination of Haeckel.
Highlights
- Art Nouveau building based on Ernst Haeckel's ideas
- Medusa Hall with a jellyfish ceiling painting by Adolf Giltsch
- Exhibition area on the aurochs (Bos primigenius)
- Evolution Hall and exhibition on human evolution
- Scientific collection with more than a million objects
Permanent exhibitions
- Metazoa – Vielfalt der vielzelligen Tiere – A tour arranged by evolutionary lineage through the diversity of animal forms, from simple organisms to vertebrates.
- Evolutionssaal und Menschwerdung – The mechanisms of evolution and the development of humans, vividly explained with specimens and models.
- Medusensaal – Inspired by Haeckel's jellyfish drawings, the hall unites art and natural science.
- Founded
- 1907
- Operated by
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3.50Children age 6 and over, school students, apprentices, the unemployed, retirees, visitors with a severe disability |
| Children & teens | €3.50free up to age 5 · Under 6 free |
| Seniors | €3.50Retirees |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3.50No information on companions. |
| Students & apprentices | –No general discount listed for university students; students of the Faculty of Biological Sciences and Pharmacy (Biologisch-Pharmazeutische Fakultät) at FSU Jena free. |
| Groups | –School classes €1.50 per student and €3.50 per accompanying adult; kindergarten groups free (guided tour €15). Guided tours for groups of 6–20 people €30 plus admission, registration required. |
| Families | €10Parents or grandparents with children |
| Group tour (6–20 people) | €30Plus admission |
| Children's audio guide | €2 |
Cash only. Free for members of the friends' association.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- 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
Wheelchair access via the rear entrance (register in advance), reached through the courtyard from Schillergässchen or Neugasse; paved paths with gradients of up to 15%.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €10 · Parents or grandparents with children |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Kids’ birthday parties
Children's audio guide (about 45 min.), explorer booklet and rally on nocturnal animals from grade 3; craft activities during the holidays for ages 6 to 11; birthday tours from preschool age for up to 15 children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Paradiesbahnhof West
Tram to Paradiesbahnhof West (lines 2, 3, 34) or Paradiesbahnhof (1, 4, 5, 35); Jena Paradies station approx. 2 min. and Jena West approx. 8 min. on foot.
By car
Paid parking
No parking lot of its own; paid parking a few minutes away at Haeckelplatz, at Engelplatz and in the Grietgasse and Goethe-Galerie parking garages.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Tours and programs for daycare groups (max. 15 children) and school classes by registration via phone or email. |
