Natural History Museum

The Naturkundemuseum (nature museum) in the Joanneumsviertel is dedicated to the natural history of Styria and its global connections. It is housed in the historic Alten Joanneum, which contains extensive collections of plants, animals, rocks, and fossils. The permanent exhibition takes visitors through approximately 500 million years of Earth history and displays finds such as mammoths, cave bears, and rare crystals. A special focus is on the historical mineral collection, where Friedrich Mohs developed his still-valid hardness scale. More than 850,000 animal specimens and a collection of wood types also document the diversity of nature.

Since 2013, the museum has been presenting itself in a contemporary format in the newly designed Joanneumsviertel. Multimedia stations and interactive formats provide direct access to topics such as biodiversity, habitats, and climate change. The adjacent CoSA (Center of Science Activities) complements the offerings with augmented reality elements and experimental approaches.

The Nature Museum connects historical collections with current topics and illustrates how natural history and the present are interconnected.