Palaeontological Museum Munich
The museum is the publicly accessible part of the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology. It is dedicated to the history of the earth’s development and of life and displays animal and plant fossils from all periods of the earth’s history.
Address
Richard-Wagner-Straße 10
80333 Munich
Tel.: 089/2180 6630
E-mail: palmuseum@snsb.de
Sunday opening
The next Family Sunday will take place on 1st December 2024 (10 am – 4 pm).
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., usually with:
- Guided museum tours at 11:30 a.m and 2:30 p.m.
- Family quiz with small prizes
- Brochures and postcard sales
Guided tours during the School Holidays:
Guided tours by our scientific staff are offered especially for families with school children once per holiday week, always on Wednesdays at 2 pm. The meeting point is on the ground floor in front of the gomphothere skeleton. Attention, the tour is in German.
20.11.2024, 27.12.2024 (exceptionally on Friday because Wednesday is a holiday).
2.1.2025, 5.3.2025, 16.4.2025, 23.4.2025, 11.6.2025, 18.6.2025, 6.8.2025, 13.8.2025, 20.8.2025, 27.8.2025, 3.9.2025, 10.9.2025, 5.11.2025, 19.11.2025.
Permanent exhibition
On the ground floor of the atrium, the Palaeontological Museum presents outstanding large scale fossils from all over the world. They represent evolution of life during earth history and colonisation of manifold environments. Skeletons and skulls stem from various vertebrates. Among others, the most iconic are the largest Bavarian dinosaur Plateosaurus and the long-legged pseudo-crocodile Prestosuchus from the Triassic, the viviparous ichthyosaur Stenopterygius, the marine crocodile Steneosaurus as well as the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus from the Jurassic, the giant pterosaur Pteranodon and the plant-eating dinosaurs Triceratops and Centrosaurus from the Cretaceous, the giant deer Megaloceros and the cave bear Ursus spelaeus from the last ice age in the Pleistocene. The centre piece is the majestic Neogene skeleton of Gomphotherium, the ancient elephant of Mühldorf. The largest tree trunks on display are the five meters high trunk of the swamp cypress Glyptostrobus and a log slice of the redwood Sequoia with two meters in diameter and 250 annual rings, both from the Neogene.
The permanent exhibitions on the first and second floor document diverse aspects of evolution, like “Archaeopteryx, the primeval bird”, as well as a chronology of the geological eras and their characterizing organisms titled “From stromatolite to hamster”.
Click here for the virtual tour
Fossil of the Month
Under this slogan a particularly interesting fossil from the collection is presented every month. For this purpose, a leaflet with information about said fossil is available for free.
Click here for the Fossils of the Month
Guided tours
Scientific tours: Guided tours by in-house scientists for groups on special topics (e.g. evolution) by appointment. palmuseum@snsb.de
Guided tours for children and schools: Guided tours especially suitable for children can be booked at buchung@mpz.bayern.de. Tel.: 089/95 411 52 -20, -21 or -22.
Long Night of Munich Museums
The museum regularly participates in the Long Night of Munich Museums with special activities related to the current temporary exhibition and special lighting effects. Night owls can take a break on their museum tour at the Urweltkaffee.