Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht

About the museum

The impetus came from the Natural History Society of Limburg (Natuurhistorisch Genootschap in Limburg), founded in Sittard in 1910, which quickly sought a museum of its own in Maastricht. In 1912 the collection moved into the former convent of the Grey Sisters in the Jekerkwartier, where the nuns had lived from 1673 to 1796. The core of the complex is a 17th-century house in the Mosan Renaissance style; the complex is now a national monument (rijksmonument).

The municipality of Maastricht took over the museum as early as 1917. Since 2006 it has been run as a municipal institution together with the Centre Céramique. The museum includes a garden on the Jeker designed in the late 1940s by the renowned landscape architect Mien Ruys.

The focus is on the geological history of South Limburg, especially the Maastrichtian, the geological age named after Maastricht at the end of the Cretaceous period, when a shallow, warm sea covered the region. Important finds of large marine reptiles come from the limestone quarries near Maastricht; the mosasaur "Bèr," a Prognathodon from the ENCI quarry, is the museum's flagship and was reconstructed together with Naturalis as an eleven-meter-long 3D skeleton. Other sections cover earlier geological eras as well as the animals and landscapes of present-day Limburg, including an insectarium.

In 2024, the city council approved a comprehensive renovation and renewal. According to the local press, the museum will close for this from January 1, 2027, for about a year and a half.

Highlights

• Mosasaur "Bèr" (Prognathodon) from the ENCI quarry with an eleven-meter-long 3D skeleton
• Fossils from the Maastrichtian, the stage of the Cretaceous named after the city
• Section on the present-day nature of Limburg with an insectarium
• Museum garden on the Jeker designed by Mien Ruys
• Former convent of the Grey Sisters (17th century) as the museum building

Permanent exhibitions

• Ontmoet Bèr – Mosasaurus Experience – The world of Cretaceous marine reptiles centered on the 3D skeleton of the Maastricht mosasaur Bèr suspended from the ceiling, complemented by original fossils.
• Limburgse Natuur: Vroeger – A journey through time from tropical swamp forests 350 million years ago to the Cretaceous sea that covered South Limburg around 70 million years ago.
• Limburgse Natuur: Nu – Animals of present-day Limburg landscapes, an insectarium, and a section on the interplay of people, nature, and climate.

Founded

1912

Operated by

Gemeinde Maastricht (gemeinsam mit Centre Céramique)

Director

Wim Hupperetz

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart (Museumkaart also available at the ticket desk). No reservation required, tickets at the ticket desk. Payment by cash or 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

Easily accessible by wheelchair, rollator, and stroller; elevator to all floors, spacious accessible restroom, wide paths in the garden. One loaner wheelchair at the ticket desk.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Kids’ birthday parties

Throughout the museum there are "treasure chests" in which children can explore fossils and finds, plus a scavenger hunt. During school holidays and on Wednesdays, hands-on activities for children ages about 4 to 12 (registration required). Birthday parties with a fossil workshop (90 min., max. 15 children).

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the historic city center (Jekerkwartier). The ENCI quarry on the Sint-Pietersberg is about a 25-minute walk away.

Amenities & dining

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

No café; visitors may eat food they bring in the lounge ("Huiskamer"), which has coffee and snack vending machines. Museum shop with fossils, books, and gifts. Coat check with lockers (€2 coin).

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit