Mauritianum
The Mauritianum is a natural history museum in Altenburg ( Thuringia ).
history
After the scientific collection and the library of the Natural Research Society of the Osterland, founded in 1817, had been housed in various unsuitable domiciles in the city of Altenburg for years, the state parliament of the Duchy of Saxony-Altenburg decided to finance a new museum building at the request of the state government. The ducal family provided a building site on the edge of the Altenburg palace garden. The current building was built in 1907/08 according to plans by the Saxon-Altenburg State Building Director Alfred Wanckel and handed over to its intended use in 1908 . The museum is named after the President of the Natural Research Society of the Easter Country, Prince Moritz von Sachsen-Altenburg , a brother of the ruling Duke Ernst I , who died in 1907 .
In 2004 and 2005 it was completely renovated and, in addition to the meeting rooms of the Osterland Natural Research Society, which still exists today, it houses a collection of around 40,000 objects, the most famous of which is the world's largest specimen of a rat king .
Web links
- Official website of the Natural History Museum Mauritianum
- Natural History Museum Mauritianum . In: Website of the city of Altenburg
- Natural History Museum Mauritianum . In: Website of the Museum Association of Thuringia
Coordinates: 50 ° 59 ′ 31.6 ″ N , 12 ° 26 ′ 47.5 ″ E