Inatura
Inatura is a natural history museum in Dornbirn, Austria, housed in a converted factory site with interactive exhibits focused on the Vorarlberg region's nature. The building combines preserved old workshop structures with modern additions, offering visitors exhibition areas covering forests, meadows, and urban wildlife.
The museum opened in 2003 on a former factory site that produced turbines and machines for hydropower from the 1800s until its closure in the 1980s. The city and regional government decided to transform the factory grounds into a space for nature education, preserving some old building structures and adapting them into exhibition rooms.
The name combines industry and nature, reflecting how the former factory site became a place for learning about the natural world. Visitors experience firsthand how the museum explores the connection between human work and the environment around them.
Plan enough time to explore the various exhibition areas, as many displays are interactive and encourage hands-on participation. The facility is centrally located in Dornbirn and easily accessible, with garden areas for resting and an on-site restaurant.
The museum maintains its own research collection of natural objects that are studied internally, with findings made accessible to the public and contributing to species protection efforts through regional conservation lists. This work supports environmental stewardship beyond typical museum displays.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
