Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Naturalis holds around forty-two million specimens, which makes it one of the larger natural history collections in the world, built from the old national museum, the Leiden university herbarium and the Amsterdam zoological museum merged together. The building was rebuilt and reopened in 2019 with a permanent display arranged by theme rather than taxonomy. Its best-known object is Trix, a Tyrannosaurus rex excavated in Montana in 2013 and bought by the museum - a large adult female with around eighty per cent of the skeleton present, which puts her among the three most complete T. rex specimens known and makes her the only one of that quality in Europe. She shows healed injuries and infections from a long life. There is also a very large Dutch fossil and mineral collection, dioramas, a Neanderthal section and the working research institute behind the galleries.

What you actually see

• Trix the Tyrannosaurus - about eighty per cent complete, among the three best known.
• Healed injuries in the bone - a long and violent life visible in the skeleton.
• Forty-two million specimens - one of the larger natural history collections anywhere.
• A 2019 rebuild - the display arranged by theme rather than by taxonomy.

When to go

All year. A day.

Honest expectations

Extremely busy in school holidays and at weekends - book timed tickets. The display is aimed at families and the labelling is light for anyone wanting depth. Only a fraction of the collection is shown.

Nearby

The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and Rijksmuseum Boerhaave are in central Leiden.