Natural History Museum of Basel, Natural history museum in Basel, Switzerland
The Natural History Museum of Basel is a science museum in Switzerland displaying collections across zoology, entomology, mineralogy, anthropology, osteology, and paleontology. The exhibits span multiple floors and present the diversity of nature through skeletons, insects, minerals, and archaeological finds.
The museum was founded in 1821 and is now recognized as a Swiss cultural property of national significance. Its collection grew over more than 200 years through donations from researchers and nature enthusiasts from the region.
The museum's oldest holdings come from the Amerbach Cabinet, a 16th-century cabinet of curiosities that the city and university acquired in 1661 and opened to the public. The permanent displays carry thematic titles such as "Ammonit & Donnerkeil" and "Quagga & Dodo", and the museum regularly shows the Natural History Museum London's "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" touring exhibition.
The museum occupies the building at Augustinergasse 2, built 1842–1849 by Melchior Berri as a combined museum and university building. Three frescoes by Arnold Böcklin hang in the main staircase. A cantonal vote in May 2019 approved a move with the State Archives to a new building at Basel St. Johann station, planned for 2026.
The collection includes the mummy of Anna Catharina Bischoff, discovered during excavations at Barfüsserkirche Basel in 1975. This discovery provides insights into life and burial practices from the early modern period in the city.
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