Natural history museum

Natural History Museums serve as well as other museums in the cultural and academic promotion. Among her main tasks: collection and preservation, public relations and research.

Demarcation

Thus, they differ markedly from the science centers ( Science Center ), the only public relations afford - without their own collections and research. The classic collection areas include the geology and mineralogy, paleontology ( geology ), botany, zoology, but also often the anthropology ( ethnology ). The immense collections tell already from the fact that more than two million different species of living beings are known today. Natural History Museums are among the most visited cultural institutions worldwide.

History

The historical roots go back to the collections of princes ( natural history cabinets ), to academic collections of universities and colleges and collections of scientific associations. With the rise of the bourgeoisie, the first major research expeditions, industrialization and now the company strongly influencing science too, in the 19th century to the establishment of numerous scientific museums. Until the 1920s into this museum division experienced a huge growth, whereas a reduction and funding cuts taking place since the mid-20th century in Europe in almost all houses. Particularly in North America Natural History Museums are still strongly encouraged.

The way of the exhibitions has changed significantly since the end of the 19th century. Originally, all natural objects representative members in the collection to be available and are also shown. Therefore, scientific collections and display collections were still united. Since so much increased in particular by the increasing trade and the numerous research trips, the scope of the collection items that he could not possibly be on permanent display in the exhibitions began with the separation of collection and exhibition. Moreover, won in this period still current issues of importance only supplemented the originally purely systematic and modular exhibits, even ablösten later. Among the most important topics now included the biogeography and ecology. Thus, the natural history museum was also a fairground, who presented the most exotic places and their life world. Especially in the second half of the 20th century, emphasis was increasingly placed on good visitor management, on didactic presentations and multimedia use. Also increasingly establishing themselves special forms of the Natural History Museum, as the simultaneous presentation of live animals in the exhibitions (eg Löbbecke Museum & Aquazoo in Dusseldorf ). But there are also backward-looking tendencies, such as the new exhibition at the Muséum national d' histoire naturelle in Paris, which clearly picks up on aspects of the natural history collection.

Tasks

Collection and preservation

The Natural History Museums preserve natural objects in an immense number. These serve science as pieces of evidence and research base. Of particular importance are the so-called type specimens, which were made after the first descriptions. Therefore, the preservation is especially so complicated, since the majority are organic materials that spoil by nature. Therefore, they must first be prepared and preserved. In addition, these files must be protected from unfavorable climatic conditions and against pests (mostly insects) be protected. Here, curators, taxidermists and collection technicians are also sought to build up the collections in the appropriate order - usually systematically.

Public relations

In addition to offering guided tours and lectures are presented by museums exhibitions to the public. This duration must be distinguished from special exhibitions. The latter have experienced an increasing importance in recent decades. The Natural History Museums get away with it by also their educational mission, as they are mostly in the public sector. Positive aspect is the high proportion of young visitors, which thanks to more attractive forms of presentation, but also exhibits spectacular find their way to this cultural institution.

Research

Classically, to natural history museums as curators employed scientists are systematic in their respective discipline. This is due to their activity in the collections. They operate as for example in biology phylogenetic studies or by writing to revisions of certain animal groups ( taxa ). As these disciplines increasingly lost in European universities, the Museum scientists today comes to an even greater importance for the preservation of our natural environment. Only Thanks to this variety of systematically working scientists, a considerable proportion are understood the world we know today of life and further explored. Numerous museums cooperate with universities or are themselves part of these research institutions. In addition, the natural history museums put their collections as a data base of research.