The extensive collections in the Berlin Museum of Natural History - at present numbering over 50 million specimens - were first formed in the Mineralogical, Paleontological and Zoological Museum. The latter, in turn, built upon a collection started by the Berlin Mining College in the 18th C., and was housed from 1810 in the Unter den Linden university buildings.
As a result of expeditions and gifts, such as those from Alexander von Humboldt and Adelbert von Chamisso, who took part in a Russian Pacific expedition in 1815-18, the collection grew enormously; consequently, a new museum was planned in 1875 and opened its doors on Invalidenstrasse in 1889. In 1893 the director of the British Museum in London praised it as being "a perfect example of a complete revolution in concepts of museum management." The Second World War put an end to the continued development. From 1941 parts of the collections were either evacuated elsewhere or stored in the cellars.
Heavy bombing raids, especially in November 1943 and February 1945, destroyed large parts of the building and some of the most valuable exhibits - whole skeletons in the Anatomical Hall were destroyed, together with those of whales and other marine mammals in the Whale Hall and all but three of the large dioramas of indigenous animals.
Soon after hostilities ceased, the collections were again temporarily opened to the public and rebuilding commenced, as a result of which the Museum - which is now a part of Humboldt University - became one of the five biggest natural history museums in the world. The Museum also possesses a preparation workshop, the arboretum in Berlin- Baumschulenweg (Späthstrasse 80/81) and a library, the most valuable items in which include 545 pages of watercolors of animals by the Nuremberg doctor Lazarus Röting (1549-1614).
Paleontological Collections
The Paleontological Collections in Rooms 1 to 3 provide an overview of the developments that took place in the animal and plant kingdoms over a period of 500 million years. The highlights are the famous dinosaur skeletons in the air well. Of the five original skeletons from the Upper Jurassic period found in Tanzania (c. 140 million years old) the most famous is that of the "brachiosaurus brancai"; 23 m/76ft long and 12 m/40ft tall, it is the largest saurian skeleton to be seen in any museum. Other interesting skeletons include that of a plateosaurus from Halberstadt and a cast of a 25 m/82ft long diplodocus skeleton. This department also has a fossil of the archaeopteryx or predecessor of the bird, the best-preserved of five found at Sonthofen.
Zoological Collections
By means of dioramas and prepared animals (dermoplastics) the Zoological Collections provide an insight into the indigenous and exotic world of animals. Particularly interesting are the beasts of prey and the dermoplastic of the gorilla named "Bobby" who was a favorite with the public at the Zoological Gardens from 1928-35. Also of great interest are the unusually large models of insects by A. Keller.
Mineralogical Collections
The Mineralogical Collections include several thousands of systematically arranged minerals, showing exactly how they function. Particularly interesting are the meteorites.
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