Museum history

New beginnings on Otto-von-Guericke-Strasse

The two-part building on Otto-von-Guericke-Strasse houses the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Cultural History.

During the bombing raids at the end of the Second World War, the museum building on Domplatz was destroyed, along with all parts of the collection that had not been evacuated (including all large objects, mounted skeletons and furniture). Further losses occurred at the storage locations due to looting and fires. The remaining collection items were brought to the museum building on Otto-von-Guericke-Strasse starting in March 1945 and the reconstruction of the collections and exhibitions began. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Natural History Museum was re-established from the Natural History Department in 1991. All projects started after 1945 to re-locate the natural history museum in a separate building failed; hence, in 2006, the practical implementation of the concept of a two-part building with a museum for natural history and a cultural history museum at this location began. With the completion of the new permanent exhibition space in April 2015, the Museum of Natural History now presents itself to visitors in a modern and interactive exhibition covering more than 1000 square metres.