Slovenské národné múzeum – Prírodovedné múzeum v Bratislave

About the museum

The Slovenské národné múzeum – Prírodovedné múzeum (SNM – Natural History Museum) focuses on research, documentation and presentation of living and non-living nature, especially in the territory of Slovakia. Its collections hold about 2.5 million objects, placing it among the significant European natural history institutions. It is also the central methodological workplace with nationwide competence.

The museum is located in the main building of the Slovak National Museum on Vajanského nábrežie by the Danube. The building, designed by the architect Milan Michal Harminc, was constructed in 1924 to 1928, originally for the Agricultural Museum, and its exhibitions were solemnly opened on 4 May 1930. It is one of the few surviving realisations of official architecture of the 1920s in Slovakia. F. Úprka worked on the façade and S. Paukert made the bronze entrance doors. Towards the end of the Second World War the building was seriously damaged by bombing, and after the war it was restored by M. M. Harminc.

The permanent exhibitions of the Natural History Museum are on the second and third floors and share the common title Zázrak prírody (Miracle of Nature). The mineralogical exhibition Klenoty Zeme (Treasures of the Earth), the palaeontological exhibition Príbeh života na Zemi (The Story of Life on Earth), Biodiverzita Slovenska (Biodiversity of Slovakia) and Biodiverzita Zeme (Biodiversity of the Earth) are complemented by a newer exhibition on human beings and their development. The SNM Directorate is also housed in the building and uses the ground and first floors as exhibition spaces.

Highlights

• Mineralogical exhibition Klenoty Zeme (Treasures of the Earth) with 1,100 mineral samples
• Palaeontological exhibition Príbeh života na Zemi (The Story of Life on Earth) with a woolly mammoth tusk
• Biodiversity of Slovakia with dioramas and a výza (beluga sturgeon) over six metres long
• Biodiversity of the Earth: polar regions, tropical forests, deserts and coral reefs
• Anthropological exhibition on the development and characteristics of human beings

Permanent exhibitions

• Zázrak prírody – Klenoty Zeme – Mineralogical exhibition with about 1,100 samples of more than 700 mineral species from Slovak and foreign localities.
• Zázrak prírody – Príbeh života na Zemi – Palaeontological exhibition on the second floor with more than 700 fossil specimens, dioramas and models of extinct organisms.
• Zázrak prírody – Biodiverzita Slovenska – The exhibition on the second floor presents dioramas and display cases with representatives of Slovakia's fauna and its habitats, from the lowlands to the mountain massifs.

Operated by

Slovenské národné múzeum

Admission & discounts

Free admission is also granted to holders of ICOM cards, staff of museums and galleries in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, journalists, tourist guides, and holders of the SNM VIP card and VIP ticket. Tourist guides may accompany visitors in the museum only as members of the Bratislava Guides Association.

Accessibility

• 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

On arrival, the security service opens a side entrance on request (tel. +421 944 173 955), from which step-free access is available to all exhibitions and displays in the building.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers small and large family tickets and educational programmes in the Objavovňa.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the main building of the Slovak National Museum by the Danube on Vajanského nábrežie.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit