From their website:
"The Museum of Natural History Vienna is among the largest of its kind and one of the most important museums in Europe. In 39 exhibition halls thousands of objects representing the earth and life sciences convey an impression of the breathtaking diversity of nature. Precious minerals, rare fossils, huge dinosaurs and unique prehistoric findings, such as the famous Venus of Willendorf, are presented on the mezzanine level. The first floor is dedicated to the immense variety of animal life.
Behind the scenes collections comprising some 25 million specimens and artefacts are the essential basis for the work of over 60 staff scientists. Their main fields of research cover a wide range of topics from the origins of our solar system and the evolution of animals and plants to human evolution, as well as prehistoric traditions and customs. Guided tours, presentations, and workshops on a variety of themes are offered regularly. These events not only provide insight into interesting and surprising natural phenomena, but also deal with the fascinating results of scientific research."
Not only are the exhibits mind-blowing in how they're displayed and in terms of sheer number of examples (of, say, fish or prehistoric artifacts or minerals) but the museum itself---the building---is really a thing of beauty.
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But, me being me, before we hit the museum we took the streetcar through the gently-falling rain, then connected via bus, then walked to a Chinese restaurant B had read good things about, called ChinaBar. A small, intimate place, perfect for a late lunch as the rain fell and jazz played inside...I urge you to take a look at their website.
Pickled ginger with tofu and anchovies: our starter.
This tasted a lot better than it might seem!
This tasted a lot better than it might seem!
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We walked to the museum from the restaurant. It looked like it might rain again, which worried us a little because after looking at some of the exhibits we wanted to take the tour of the museum, a tour that showcases the building itself and its history, ending up in the attic offices and then finally on the roof, for a view very few people get to see...this tour happens only occasionally and B just happened to learn about it while checking out the website.
It's impossible to see the entire museum unless you're willing to spend an entire day; arrive when they open, walk around several hours, go to lunch, come back and see the rest. We only had a few hours so we skipped the mineral exhibit and went upstairs to the---what, animal exhibit? There you go from room to room to room, each leading you from the simplest single-celled organisms, to insects then reptiles then fish then birds then mammals then primates. You could easily spend half a day just looking at these exhibits.
The exhibit halls have very high ceilings, with lots of fancy paintings and embellishments as was the style of the time. The old wooden floors sometimes creak as you walk along. And B made an interesting comment: "Why do we need to keep animals caged up in zoos when people can come to a museum like this and see examples of almost every living creature?" I agree. I really dislike the idea of zoos...
After looking at the (formerly) living things, we went to another wing to look at the exhibits devoted to early man. The area around Vienna is rich with archeological finds going back a long, long way, including maybe the single most famous item in the entire museum, which is this:
The Venus of Willendorf is about 25,000 years old.
What kind of people lived back then? What were they like?
What kind of people lived back then? What were they like?
I have to go back to the museum when I move to Vienna. There's an astounding amount to see, and they rotate the exhibits frequently...
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We met in the mezzanine to begin our Roof Tour. There were about eight of us in the group and our guide was a biologist. The tour was conducted in German but B interpreted for me. The guide told us the history of the musuem, pointed out various architectural details (of which there are many), and took us places the general public doesn't see.
The 2nd floor rotunda. There's a gift shop and a restaurant here.
Exhibit halls are on either side, and stretch quite a distance.
Exhibit halls are on either side, and stretch quite a distance.
Looking down to the same space.
Note the hole in the floor---you can see through to the first floor.
This part of the museum you can only access via the Roof Tour.
Note the hole in the floor---you can see through to the first floor.
This part of the museum you can only access via the Roof Tour.
This is part of what you see at the entrance.
The wide staircase takes you to the upper floors.
Note the hole in the roof---this is the same hole we're looking down into in the pic above.
The wide staircase takes you to the upper floors.
Note the hole in the roof---this is the same hole we're looking down into in the pic above.
The upper floors are not accessible to the public except on the Roof Tour.
Here the scientists and administrators have their offices.
This long hallway featured a glassed-in shelf containing hundreds of human skulls.
Here the scientists and administrators have their offices.
This long hallway featured a glassed-in shelf containing hundreds of human skulls.
Just before we climbed out onto the roof, we saw this plaster reproduction.
(The original is part of the elaborate artwork in the rotunda.)
(The original is part of the elaborate artwork in the rotunda.)
The monkey on the left holds Darwin's ORIGINS OF THE SPECIES.
The monkey on the right is showing the infant a mirror, which he doesn't want to look into.
The monkey on the right is showing the infant a mirror, which he doesn't want to look into.
We spent about 30 minutes on the roof. The guide pointed out all the nearby famous buildings as we walked around. Best of all, the weather cooperated; though it had been raining all day off and on, it didn't rain while we were up there and in fact the sun broke through, giving us a beautiful rainbow at one point, and some great light for picture-taking.
From the roof of the Natural History Museum, looking west.
Closer look at the cupola in an Oklahoma-like sunset.
Across the square, the Museum of Fine Arts, a building similar is size and design.
Around on the north side, they'd just turned on the lights at the City Hall.
All in all, this was a unique experience; thanks as always to B, who had the idea of a rainy-day museum visit.
The Natural History Museum will see me again. Maybe I'll even donate my body to them when I die. They can display me in the prehistoric human exhibit as "Jethro Man---little is known about these people and it is suspected they may be the long sought-after missing link..."
