Senckenberg Natural History Museum
Germany's largest natural history museum, holding fossils from Messel preserved with skin and stomach contents.
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The Senckenberg Society was founded in 1817 and its museum is the largest natural history museum in Germany, with a research institute behind it. The dinosaur hall holds mounted skeletons including a Diplodocus and a Tyrannosaurus, and a Triceratops that is among the few substantially original specimens outside North America. Its strongest holding is from the Messel Pit nearby: fossils from an Eocene lake preserved so completely that skin outlines, hair, feathers, gut contents and unborn young survive, including the early horse Propalaeotherium with leaves and grape pips in its stomach. Whales, birds and human evolution occupy further halls.
What you actually see
- The Messel fossils - Eocene specimens with skin, hair and stomach contents.
- The dinosaur hall - mounted skeletons including Diplodocus and Triceratops.
- The early horse - Propalaeotherium preserved with its last meal.
- The whale hall - skeletons hung the length of the upper gallery.
When to go
Year-round; weekends and school holidays are busy with families. It opens daily with late hours on some evenings. Allow at least three hours.
Honest expectations
It is very busy with school groups on weekdays in term time. Some halls are dated in presentation. The building is large and tiring.
Nearby
The Palmengarten is close; the Messel Pit lies south of the city.
What to pack for Senckenberg Natural History Museum
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
