Botanical Museum Greifswald

The Botanical Museum Greifswald is a museum at the University of Greifswald in Germany dedicated to plant collection and research. It holds around 300,000 specimens including ferns, seed plants, algae, mosses, and lichens from various regions around the world.

Julius Munter founded the museum in 1850, building upon a herbarium that existed since the 17th century when Samuel Gustav Wilcke established the Botanical Gardens. The institution grew from this early scientific collection into an important center for plant research.

The museum houses Arnold's fruit cabinet, a collection of porcelain fruit models made in Gotha between 1856 and 1899. These handcrafted pieces show how botanists once documented and studied the diversity of fruits.

The museum serves as the central herbarium for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and contains scientific models, instruments, and teaching materials. Visitors should allow time to explore the different exhibition areas and examine the detailed plant models closely.

The teaching collection features specialized flower models created by model makers Robert Brendel and Paul Osterloh that represent complex botanical structures. These handmade models were important tools for students to understand plant parts in fine detail.

Location: Greifswald

Inception: 1850

Founders: Julius Münter

Part of: University of Greifswald

Website: http://universitaetssammlungen.de/sammlung/526

GPS coordinates: 54.09390,13.36690

Latest update: December 12, 2025 17:42