Natural History Museum

The major highlight of Bamberg’s natural history museum are the nature cabinets dating back to the times of prince-bishop Franz Ludwig von Erthal in the Age of Enlightenment.

Effectively this ornithological hall, with its classical furnishings and the outstanding collection of stuffed animals of all species in beautiful display cases is a museum within the museum. This singular exhibition hall of European standing was renovated in 2010. At the beginning of the 19. century this hall was counted among the most precious of its kind, comparable only to those of London or Paris. The classicist architecture has been emphasised now in the course of the renovation thanks to the restoration of the original wooden floor, the illumination of the insides of the historic display cases in azurite blue, new lighting fixtures and the restoration of other historic elements of the ceiling and hall decoration. Duplicates were replaced with other animals and historically false names were corrected.

The main rooms of the natural history museum show permanent exhibitions devoted to various fields from geology to zoology:
What is created in the bowels of the Earth and how? In the darkened room of the "Treasure Chamber Earth" you will be enchanted by glittering crystals and learn more about how they are made. The "Dynamic Earth" section looks at the transition from the Earth's core to the earth itself, featuring illuminated images, models and exhibits illustrating the earth's structure. The geological history of the landscape in and around Bamberg and the significance of the earth as a source of life are explained. From Franconia's earliest days, there is a collection of fossils. But beware: not all the fossils are genuine, as the most famous fakes, the "Würzburg lying stones" show. The diversity of fauna is displayed in various dioramas, showing banished species such as the wolf and brown bear and the extinct quagga zebra. Every hour, the newly equipped multimedia room features an exciting multivision film on the "biosphere" and changing special exhibitions provide insight into special topics.