Two remarkable Museum für Naturkunde Berlin galleries are being opened to visitors for the first time. The new “Mammal Skulls” and “Deer and Horned Animals” galleries will welcome members of the public during the Long Night of Museums event on Saturday 29th of August.
Until now, these collections have been reserved exclusively for researchers. Their opening represents an important milestone in the continuing development of the Museum für Naturkunde. These two, new galleries will initially only be accessible as part of a guided tour.
Opening Natural History Research Collections to the Public
The two galleries were created with funding from the Future Plan. They provide access to important scientific collections, but their purpose extends beyond displaying natural history specimens. Both galleries explore the history and provenance of objects within the collections. In addition, they demonstrate how specimens can be interpreted from different scientific, historical and cultural perspectives. The media displays were developed through an international co-curation programme. Nine co-curators from Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Togo, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia and Egypt participated.
The layout of the two galleries reflect the Museum’s on-going commitment to work responsibly with specimens and objects originating from former colonial territories.
A comprehensive guide to recognising the colonial heritage of many of the specimens in the collection has recently been published.
To read more about this work: Colonial Natural History Collections Receive New Guidelines.
Working with natural science and humanities researchers at the museum, the co-curators helped bring together scientific findings, local knowledge systems, cultural experiences and historical perspectives.
Prof. Johannes Vogel, Director-General of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, explained:
“Natural history collections are far more than archives of biological diversity – they are repositories of knowledge about the relationships between humans and nature and, at the same time, testimonies to their era. With the opening of the new galleries, we are highlighting where research takes place and inviting visitors to critically examine the history of the objects, which is also part of our own history.”
The new “Deer and Horned Animals” gallery at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Picture credit: Verena Brüning.
Picture credit: Verena Brüning
New Museum für Naturkunde Berlin Galleries Including “Deer and Horned Animals”
The “Deer and Horned Animals” research collection contains approximately 8,500 sets of antlers and horns. These specimens document the diversity of cervids and other horned animals. Importantly, historical specimens can provide valuable information for modern biodiversity research. Collections assembled many decades ago can help scientists investigate geographical variation and changes in animal populations over time.
However, the gallery also examines how the collection was assembled. It highlights the influence of colonial collecting practices and political power structures and encourages visitors to consider the provenance and history of individual objects.
An Important Collection of Mammal Skulls
The museum’s mammal collection is one of the most significant of its kind in the world. It contains approximately 150,000 objects, including around 66,500 skulls. Many specimens originate from Africa and were brought to Berlin through colonial networks around the beginning of the 20th century.
Selected specimens have now been reinterpreted in collaboration with experts from their countries of origin. The displays include skulls from elephants, lions, manatees and jackals.
Alongside their zoological importance, the exhibits explore the cultural and spiritual significance associated with some of these animals. Visitors can also learn more about how particular specimens travelled from their places of origin to Europe.
Consequently, the gallery provides an opportunity to examine both the scientific importance of natural history collections and the historical circumstances surrounding their formation.
Elephant skulls on display in the new “Mammal Skulls” gallery. Picture credit: Verena Brüning.
Picture credit: Verena Brüning
Examining the History of Museum Collections
The new galleries form part of a wider initiative at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin to examine its responsibilities concerning specimens and objects acquired within colonial contexts. The approach demonstrates how natural history museums can preserve and study scientifically important specimens while simultaneously investigating and communicating their history and provenance.
Guided Tours Begin on Saturday 29th of August
The new Museum für Naturkunde Berlin galleries can currently only be visited as part of a guided tour. The first tours will take place during the Long Night of Museums event on Saturday 29th of August (2026). Tickets for the guided tours are available free of charge from the information desk in the Dinosaur Hall. However, tickets are subject to availability and will be distributed whilst stocks last.
Mike from Everything Dinosaur welcomed the opening of these new galleries and stated:
“For visitors interested in zoology, biodiversity research and the history of natural history collecting, the opening of these galleries provides a rare opportunity to explore collections that, until now, have remained the preserve of researchers.”
The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Prehistoric Animal and Dinosaur Models.
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