A good natural history museum should have a geological and a zoological preparation workshop. In addition to our numerous biological and geological collections, our geological and zoological preparation workshops ensure that the specimens we collect are preserved, made visible and accessible for research, storage, exhibition and education.
In the zoological preservation studio, animals are immortalised by making casts or, using their original skin, claws, hair and feathers, transforming them into a dermoplastic with a great deal of creativity and sensitivity. The animals in question are those found dead, roadkill or animals that have died a natural death in zoos and wildlife parks.
For geological preparation, fossils, minerals and rocks are prepared according to the object’s later function. For example, fossils are uncovered mechanically, chemically or using thin-cutting techniques, then coloured and preserved. The preparation and securing of objects for the collection or the exhibitions are of great importance in the work of the preparators, which is why they are regularly involved in excavations.
Another important task is the restoration of existing objects for the museum, as the collection and the exhibitions depend on it.
In addition to these activities, the department also builds illustrative models, produces lifelike replicas, designs dioramas, and the preparation team is always involved in setting up and designing the exhibits.
