Natural History Museum of Basel
The Natural History Museum Basel archives of life is a natural history museum in Basel. It was founded in 1821 and located since 1849 in what was then opened museum in Augustinergasse. It covers most areas of the natural sciences. Its mission is expanding, preserving, researching, documenting and communicating the scientific collections.
Exhibitions
Covering an area of over 3,000 m2, the museum presents permanent exhibitions on various topics: Finch & Star ( Birds of Switzerland ); Bear & Lynx (mammals of Switzerland ); Gold & Rubin ( minerals in the world); Pyrite & rock crystal (minerals of Switzerland & the Basel region ); Cave Bear (From the Jura); Ammonite & thunderbolt ( fossils of the Basel region); Fire & Water ( Dynamics of the Earth ); Dino & dinosaurs ( dinosaurs & their environment); Mammoth & Saber Tooth Tiger ( history of mammals); Squid & Butterfly ( Invertebrates ); Fish & Frog ( fish, reptiles & amphibians, Switzerland); Hummingbird & Kakadu ( birds of the world ); Quagga & Dodo ( Threatened & Extinct ); Olm & Bat ( cave world)
We present animals from the region as well as exotic species. In the dinosaur hall gives a retrospect to prehistoric times with models of extinct animals or fossils and explore various minerals. Under magnifiers and microscopes and micro-organisms can be made visible.
Special exhibitions, which provide scientific issues in a timely, current context, complement the permanent exhibition, for example, with the theme " Deep Sea " (2007/2008), " Animatus " ( fictitious bone of cartoon characters, 2008), " The Fly " (2008 / 2009).
In the museum, many events, tours, excursions and special exhibitions. One can also observe living animals: honey bees and a colony of leaf-cutter ants.
Collections
The museum was founded in 1821, but the oldest collections go to the Amerbachkabinett back. It is a Wunderkammer of the 16th century, the city and the University of Basel in 1661 acquired and made available to the public.
Today, the Natural History Museum Basel is home to over 7.7 million objects, the expanded and are carried under the title " Archive of life." The museum houses some of the world famous and unique focus collections.
- Fossil vertebrates approximately 600,000 objects
- Fossil Invertebrates about 3'280'000 objects
- Anthropology approximately 10,000 objects
- Insects approximately 1,750,000 objects
- Beetles ( collection Frey ) about 1,675,000 objects
- Mineralogy approximately 125,000 objects
- Zoology approximately 292'000 objects
Research
Around 100 staff at the Natural History Museum are involved in anthropological, classical bioscience and paleontological research projects that are networked nationally and internationally. In anthropology, the living conditions and the health history of people are studied whose skeletons have been found in various excavations in the city of Basel (eg old hospital cemetery of St. John ). In the life science research, the research focus in the systematics, ecology and conservation biology lies. Basis for systematic work is usually the own extensive collection which also serves as external researchers for their studies. In the paleontological research, among other dinosaur tracks in Mexico, invertebrates in marine sediments and three-dimensional imaging of microfossils are investigated.
Building
The very impressive building was built as a museum and university buildings in the years 1842-1849 by the architect Melchior Berri. Berri received for this building, which is considered his major work, honorary doctorates from the University of Basel. This building is a very early example of a civic museum. With its combination of exhibition spaces, a library, lecture hall and it has no precedent in Switzerland. In the entrance of three frescoes by Arnold Böcklin are seen.
Line
(currently September 2013 ): Christian A. Meyer